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Munsch's beloved children's book The Paper Bag Princess' has become a touchstone for anti-bullying efforts

- TRACEY TONG

It was the late 1970s, and Robert Munsch had been telling dragon stories to the kids in the daycare centre where he worked.

At the suggestion of his wife, Ann, he tweaked one story so that it was the princess who saved the prince. "Every day, I would tell one new and one old (story)," he says, "and The Paper Bag Princess' was one the kids kept asking for." He told it over and over to keep the children happy before naptime. "It also became a big favourite among the mothers," he adds.

Since being published in 1980, "The Paper Bag Princess" has sold more than seven million copies worldwide and launched Munsch to the top tier of Canadian children's authors.

Forty-four years later, the book and its titular heroine, Elizabeth who pursues a fire-breathing dragon after it burns down her castle and kidnaps Prince Ronald-are as popular as ever. For years, "The Paper Bag Princess" has been read in schools as a springboard to discuss bullying, courage, problem-solving and self-esteem, all of which are showcased by Elizabeth as she outwits the dragon and stands up for herself after being mocked by Ronald.

Saturday, March 2, marks publisher Annick Press's fifth annual Paper Bag Princess Day, and this year's theme, "Stand Up to Dragons," is focused on bullying. Since its inception, Paper Bag Princess Day has had thousands of schools, bookstores and libraries including some branches of the Toronto Public Library - spread the book's messages of empowerment.