The Adventurous Princess and Other Feminist Fairy Tales

Book excerpt: What if Beauty stood up to the Beast, the Princess never tried to sleep on the pea (and wouldn't have noticed it if she had), and the Swan Maiden took her revenge on the hunter who kidnapped her? The Adventurous Princess and other feminist fairy tales is a retelling of nine traditional fairy tales with a feminist twist. Fairy tales open up new worlds full of enchantment and adventure, but many of these traditional stories also reinforce rigid gender roles and norms, perpetuate stereotypes, and lack diversity in their characters. In The Adventurous Princess, the charm, whimsy, and magic of traditional fairy tales remain, but the diverse characters challenge stereotypes about who they should be or how they should act, stand up for themselves, and shape their own futures.