Websites

The Official Robert Munsch Site, http://robertmunsch.com, 2019.

Summary - On this site you can listen to the author read The Paper Bag Princess, along with many of his other books, and learn what inspired each one. You can also read his bio and learn about the long, twisted path that led to his being a well-known children's author. Munch also shares some of his poetry and short stories, as well as some of the artwork, letters, and stories sent to him by his fans.

Librarian Review - This highly interactive site allows children to hear the stories in the storyteller's own voice, and may provide inspiration for budding writers or illustrators with the stories behind the books and the author's bio. Very bright colors, attractive graphics, and easy to navigate. Appropriate for ages 5-10.

Professional Review - "Everything you need to know about the children’s author, Robert Munsch, from past class visits to unpublished works, you can find it all here." - ALSC Great Websites for Kids, 4.7/5 star rating.

BBC Primary History, BBC Television, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zkrkscw, 2019.

Summary - A selection of articles on English monarchs and leaders found on the BBC educational site for kids.

Librarian Review - The site is sorted by grade level, general subject and specific topic. This selection of articles on monarchs and leaders is written for ages 5-7, with engaging cartoon-like graphic illustrations.

Professional Review - "This is a great history site for primary grades to learn basic information about a few specific periods in history and the people of the era. Appropriate for elementary aged youth." - ALSC Great Websites for Kids, 4.5 star rating.

Biography by A & E Television Network, LLC, www.biography.com, 2019.

Summary - Search this site for specific names, or using general terms "princess" or "royalty" to find articles, videos, and photos of real princesses, people who knew them, or celebrities who portrayed princesses in movies or television.

Librarian Review - A great source of multimedia biographical information on contemporary and historical princesses, but can be difficult wading through results on more general searches.

Professional Reviews - "Has a searchable online database containing 15,000 international names, past and present. Appropriate for middle school aged youth." - ALSC Great Websites for Kids, 4.1/5 star rating.

World of Tales, https://www.worldoftales.com, 2006-2019.

Summary - The site is a wealth of princess and other fairy/folk tales from around the world, with source information and some illustrations. Readers can also submit their own original stories.

Librarian Review - The graphics on this site leave a bit to be desired, but this is a treasure trove of fairy/folk tales with amazing diversity representing dozens of different cultures from around the world. Stories are categorized by region and story. For ages 7-13.

Review- "Search tales by geographic origin, theme, author, book, and more. You can also change the "theme" of the page display to make it easier to see on a projector. There are advertisements that clutter the page and slow it down a bit, but having such a searchable collection is very handy." - User Review, TeachersFirst , 4/5 stars

SurLaLune Fairy Tales, by Heidi Anne Heiner, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com, 1998-2019.

Summary - This site is a wealth of information about fairy tales, including several princess stories. There are annotated stories, bibliographies of similar tales from various cultures as well as modern retellings and a wealth of resources related to the study of folklore and fairytales.

Librarian Review - Visually the site is a little cluttered and very text heavy, and not particularly attractive, but it provides an exhaustive amount of information about fairy tales and is clearly a labor of love by its developer. For all ages.

Other Reviews - Reviews of this site could not be found, but it is listed on many LibGuides and syllabi for literature courses. The author has a BS in English literature and an MLIS, with the focus of her studies being children's literature and folklore.

KidsReads, by The Book Report, www.kidsreads.com, 2019.

Summary - A literary website for kids with articles, reviews, author bios, and more.

Librarian Review - This is a great resource to give kids more agency in their reading choices, as well as learn about new books coming out, and their favorite authors.

Other Reviews - "[One of the] best educational websites for kids (that are actually fun, too!)" - Today's Parent; RUSA/MARS Best Free Reference Websites, 2008

"Cinderella" article on Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderella, last updated September, 2019.

Summary - This article gives a brief summary of the history of the "Cinderella" fairy tail, including known historical literary versions and in modern culture.

Librarian Review - This article would be a little advanced for young readers, but would be good for parent and child to explore together or as background research for students and teachers. It does not recount all the many variations of the story in all cultures, but provides an interesting overview of the history of the story, comparing and contrasting the different versions. Wikipedia is generally a good source for background information for personal use, and provides references for further research. Recommended for all ages.

Other Reviews - RUSA/MARS Best Free Reference Websites, 2005.

Internet Movie Database, by Amazon, www.imdb.com, 1990-2019.

Summary - This database can be searched to find princess movies or television episodes by searching for "princess" or the names of specific princesses, as well as the actors that have portrayed them. Summaries and ratings information is also available.

Librarian Review - IMDb is an excellent resource for getting information about movies, television, and actors for entertainment or informational purposes. Recommended for all ages.

Other Reviews - RUSA/MARS Best Free Reference Websites, 1999.

Multicultural Cinderella Stories by Mary Northrup, originally appearing in 2000 in Book Links 9(5), published online by ALA in

Summary - An extensive list of picture books with versions of the Cinderella story from many different cultures, as well as modern retellings or parodies.

Librarian Review - This is a wonderful resource for not only multicultural variations of the classic princess story, but modern humorous versions as well. Unfortunately, no images of book covers are shown, but all bibliographic information is provided.

The ALA is a widely recognized national organization for libraries, and the author is a reference librarians and freelance writer of professional materials.

Happily Ever After: 17 Multicultural Fairy Tales to Delight Every Child. by Charnaie Gordon, Brightly. https://www.readbrightly.com/multicultural-fairy-tales-for-children,

Summary - This web articles lists 17 multicultural retellings of fairy tales, several of which are princess stories. The article provides cover images, bibliographic information, short summaries, and links to purchase from various retailers.

Librarian Review - This is an excellent list with very appealing books. Some are traditional stories from other cultures, but most are modern retellings with diverse characters. Recommended for ages 4-10.

Other Reviews - No outside reviews of this site could be found, but it is a well-respected site and resource for many themed-bibliographies as well as articles related to literacy. Published by Random House, but they do showcase books from all publishers, not just their own.

80+ Perfect Princess Books for Kids by Bookroo, https://bookroo.com/books/topics/princesses, 2019

Summary - A list of over 80 princess books sorted by type (board book, picture book, or chapter book) and theme (self-reliance, friendship, problem-solving, adventure, etc.

Librarian Review - I love how this list can be sorted not only by age level, but by theme; this makes it very user friendly. There is a brief synopsis, as well as links to reviews and more information, as well as purchasing from various sources.

Other Reviews - Highly rated book subscription service (average user rating on cratejoy.com, a site for "product of the month" subscription services, is 4.9/5 stars. However, the Bookroo site is also provides a wealth of information in the form of book lists on many topics, a database of book quotes, and a database of authors/illustrators, with no purchase required.

10 Black Princess Books To Celebrate The Royal Engagement, by Ilana Masad, Bookriot, https://bookriot.com/2017/11/30/black-princess-childrens-books, 2017

Summary - Inspired by the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, this list has 10 great picture books featuring black princesses (or little girls who play princess. Some are traditional folktales, but most are contemporary picture books.

Librarian Review - The diversity representing by these books is very refreshing and encouraging, especially that it contains several contemporary picture books rather than relying only on older folktales. A great mix of cultural diversity and appreciating beauty of all skin tones and hair types.

Other Reviews - Reviews of this article or the website could not be located, but it is a popular and respected website for literary news, reviews, and bibliographies. Users rated the BookRiot podcast an average of 4.5/5 stars.

Most Popular Princess Picture Books, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/princess-picture-books, 2019

Summary - A list of the top 34 books users have shelved under the category "princess picture books" with links to each book's profile and reviews.

Librarian Review - A fairly comprehensive list of contemporary children's picture books featuring princesses, with several titles not appearing on other lists; good variety. While I would not recommend kids under the age of 16 have a profile or post reviews on Goodreads, it is a good source of information, reviews, and lists for kids to look at with an adult, and this particular list is a great complement to the other lists in the libguide.

Other Reviews - "Mostly safe spot for teens to share their love of books." - Common Sense Media, 4/5 star rating.