Plenty of children want a princess book. The useful ones still have a person who does something: outsmarts a dragon, runs a kingdom for a night, or tells a prince no.
The Paper Bag Princess is the one to read when the dress talk has taken over. She wears a bag because the dragon burned her clothes, and she is busy. The Princess in Black is the bridge toward chapter books, with short pages and a secret hero who would rather be in the goat pasture.
Not All Princesses Dress in Pink and Part-time Princess are easier, quieter reads. The Princess and the Pony is the funny one. Princess Smartypants is for the child who already enjoys a bossy heroine.
Read them the way you would read any picture book. A funny voice, a pause at the picture, and no speech at the end about what a princess should be. They heard it.
If they want the dress book afterward, read that one too. Bravery and a gown can sit in the same week. You do not have to pick a side out loud.
