17 Princess Picture Books That Everyone Can Love

Boy Detective let me know early that he did NOT like princesses. “Mom,” he said, “I like FAIRIES, not princesses.” Strangely, though, he loved every princess book in this list. It’s amazing how a good story can transcend genre prejudices, isn’t it? And I enjoyed reading them as much as Boy Detective did. (Disclosure: Amazon links are affiliate links.)

My picture book posts were published and then occasionally expanded between 2012-2015, with reviews based on reading with my kiddo between preschool age and about eight years old. As of 2023-24, I’m freshening up my lists and adding more recs.

One Riddle, One Answer (2001) by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter

Aziza is the daughter of a powerful sultan who wants to find his beloved daughter a good husband. But his advisors just recommend their own sons! Aziza comes up with her own plan for finding a husband, and since her dad knows she’s a smart lady, he signs on. Aziza loves numbers, you see, so she poses a riddle. Whoever answers it correctly is clearly compatible. It’s a gentle, clever book, and the happily ever after feels so good that I dare you not to smile! My number-loving son thought this book was “SO GOOD!”

The Princesses Have a Ball (2002) by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Lynne Cravath

A re-telling of the fairy tale about princesses who disappear from their rooms each night and dance the night away. These princesses, however, have a different passion. The local cobbler figures it out and helps the girls reveal their secret to their father the King. Consequences are not as dire as the girls had feared, and they all live happily ever after. One thing especially I liked: the princesses and their dad are a single parent and multi-racial family, AND at no point does the story feel compelled to give an explanation for that.

The Princess and the Pizza (2002) by Mary Jane and Herm Auch

Paulina the Princess, somewhat inconvenienced by her father quitting his kingship, is sure that she can win the hand of Prince Drupert so she can get back to princessing. But she apparently doesn’t have the right attitude. Even if she did, the tests are completely ridiculous, and the other princesses are backstabbers! Plus, if she loses, she may be executed by Dupert’s bossy Queen mother. What’s a girl to do? Hint: it may lead to a chain with franchises throughout the kingdom. Paulina’s no-b.s. attitude and her conflicts with the Queen are really funny, and the story’s “happily ever after” resolution is quite satisfying. Kids familiar with classic fairy tales will get a lot of the extra jokes in the art.

The Princess Knight (2004) by Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Kerstin Meyer

Violet is incensed when her father offers her hand in marriage as the prize for a jousting tournament. Her youngest brother offers to win the tournament to save her, but she says “Thank you, but I think I’d better see to it myself.” Her dad may end up regretting all that swordplay, jousting, and horsemanship training she’s had. The art in this one uses interesting multi-level page layouts that remind me of something, maybe medieval tapestries? It’s lovely, focused, and confident. One of our fave picture books in both the princess and knight categories.

The Apple-Pip Princess (2007) by Jane Ray

I was SO glad to find this gorgeous, quiet book about not one, but three princesses of color. Three sisters, who are given a task by their father: do something to make him proud, and become ruler of the kingdom. The youngest, Serenity, looks at what her sisters create and chooses a different path. This is a lovely fairy tale enjoyable on its own merits, but also a wonderful contribution to helping children understand leadership and community-building.

Princess Pigsty (2007) by Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Kerstin Meyer

This is amazing on so many levels. My favorite aspect is it shows how an adult can learn from a child, as long as the adult is willing to slow down and listen. So often we imagine that children learn from adults and it’s a one way street. But here, when the Princess decides her usual role just isn’t working for her, it’s her father the King who gets the education.

Patricia von Pleasantsquirrel (2009) by James Proimos

Patricia knows she destined for greatness! Even if those around her don’t. But she gets more than she bargained for when she becomes the Princess of the hippos. Who knew there were so many princess duties?! The art is in four colors (black, white, purple, and yellow) and perfectly silly enough for the story. Fans of Where The Wild Things Are will appreciate this homage. I appreciated that Patricia is not the willowy little girl of most children’s books!

Princess in Training (2012) by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Joe Berger

Viola goes to Camp Princess hoping to become the darling of her kingdom despite her wild ways. This book’s ending will be no surprise to adults, but the gorgeous art and the karate chops more than make up for it. Also, there’s glitter on the cover of the hardback, so my six year old son is thrilled. (Please be reassured, the glitter is firmly attached. I wouldn’t have let it in my house if it wasn’t.) The gals at Camp Princess are slightly more diverse than the standard background cast in most children’s books, and there’s a Star Wars joke, so I was happy.

Part-time Princess (2013) by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Cambria Evans

Out of all the “I’m secretly a princess” picture books I’ve read, this one struck me because one of this gal’s primary responsibilities is firefighting. She has a Royal Air Balloon and a red fire hat and a hose and everything. Of course she does all kinds of more classic princessy things too, like learning fencing and circus arts, and riding in her motorcycle which has a sidecar for her dog. Wait, those aren’t traditional princess activities…? Anyway. It’s a delightful little mashup. The art is sweet, and so is the relationship between the girl and her mama. And you can tell they know their target audience, because there’s glitter on the cover. (Oh wait, is their target audience not my elementary school age son? My mistake!)

The Princess Who Had No Kingdom (2014) by Ursula Jones, with art by Sarah Gibb

So whimsical, in a good way! The princess with no kingdom rides through the land with a cart and a pony, making her living delivering items you can’t mail. She hopes to find her kingdom someday, but in the meantime she has a pretty good life (and a good head on her shoulders, in my opinion). A chance meeting with dowager duchess Wilhelmina leads to an invitation to a royal ball. At the ball, there’s a quarrel between potential suitors… and an ending that isn’t what you’d expect, but is far more lovely thanks to the Princess’s good sense.

I do have one complaint: I’m a little done with depictions of women in art where their waists are cinched in to be only slightly bigger than their necks. Historical accuracy just isn’t that important unless you’re curating a museum exhibit! Still, I do love this book.

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas (2018) by Tony Wilson, illustrated by Sue deGennaro

Prince Henrick really wants to fall in love and get married, but he’s a little skeptical that the “sensitive” type of princess who passes the traditional (and horrible IMHO) pea-under-the-mattress princess test would be right for him. He likes hockey and camping after all, and he’d prefer to share those passions with the right gal. His own version of the test is ingenious and charming. Quirky story, quirky illustrations, and just the right amount of cute.

The Paper Bag Princess (1980), by Edward Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko

This is probably well-known to many parents already, but I couldn’t leave it off the list just because it’s popular! Princess and Prince attacked by dragon, Prince kidnapped, Princess saves Prince, Prince criticizes her outfit… and she makes the only sensible decision! Love this book.

And here are the books I’ve read on my own since my kiddo got too old for them; they’re all fantastic! I haven’t had a chance to write reviews or pull the covers yet, but click on through and see if one of them might be perfect for you.

And that’s the list!