PRINCESS PAUL | Free Children Book
Nov 27, 2025
On World Book Day, Paul bravely dresses as a princess, but his classmates' teasing makes him feel embarrassed. When Paul shares the story behind his costume, his classmates learn an important lesson in acceptance. This heartwarming story encourages kids to embrace their uniqueness and break free from stereotypes, reminding them that everyone has the right to express themselves. Join Paul as he learns to be proud of who he is!
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Today is World Book Day, and the whole school is so excited.
Each student and teacher get to dress up as their favourite book character in the world.
As the bell rings, a swarm of patchwork elephants, hungry caterpillars, and wild things come running in. There are bears of all different varieties, from teddies to grizzlies. There are witches and wizards, villains and heroes. You could name any animal, and there was sure to be one: rabbits and mice, monkeys and pigs, dogs and cats, and everything in between.
All the children entered their classrooms like they were in a Halloween parade.
Each ‘ooh-ing’ and ‘ahh-ing’ as they saw their friend's costumes.
“Settle down, everyone!” Mrs. Hopkins shouted so she could begin the day of learning, “We will each hear about your costumes later. First, I need to make sure you are all here.”
Mrs. Hopkins began to read the register, waiting for each child to reply with a ‘Here, Mrs’.
But when Mrs. Hopkins reached one name, a ‘here, Mrs.’ never came.
“Paul,” Mrs. Hopkins bellowed again.
She and all the students looked around to see if he was in the classroom.
“Paul Peters…” She tried once more.
Just then, the door burst open, and in ran Paul.
“Sorry, I’m late, Mrs.; the bus got stuck in traffic!”
But to Paul’s dismay, he was not greeted with the warm welcome he expected…
A roar of laughter burst out from every child in the room.
“What are you wearing!” they cried.
“Boys can’t wear that,” another shouted.
Paul’s rosy delight soon turned to a blush of embarrassment. The pink princess dress Paul was wearing sulked like a wilting flower as he hung his head in shame.
“Excuse me,” Mrs. Hopkins shouted over the top of all the noise. “That is certainly not how we welcome a classmate or how we treat our friends.”
“Thank you for joining us, Paul,” Mrs. Hopkins greeted, “Please come and take a seat.”
Paul began to walk quietly over to a spare chair, all the time, he wanted to be invisible.
As Mrs. Hopkins continued with the register, Paul could hear the whispers and snickers of his peers commenting on his costume. He silently wished the bus had stayed stuck in the traffic.
Once the register was finished, Mrs. Hopkins announced that all of the students would each come up to the front and talk about their outfits and which book they took inspiration from.
Paul sank lower in his chair, and his stomach sank lower into his body.
One by one, the students came to the front and explained their costumes.
Hettie wore a black and white catsuit with a big red stripey hat like the Cat in the Hat.
PJ wore a football kit like his favourite player, Ronaldo.
Alfie wore a Gruffalo costume, and Luke was Paddington Bear.
Alice carried a tiger around pretending to be Sophie from A Tiger who came to Tea, and Matilda came as Matilda.
When it came around to Paul’s turn, Mrs. Hopkins stopped the class. She ushered Paul to come upfront while she shushed any students who giggled or laughed.
“Paul, please tell us about your costume,” she asked as she stood with her arm around his shoulders.
Quietly, Paul said, “I came as a princess from a book my mum wrote when my sister was sick. It’s about a princess who is very brave while she gets treatment for her illness. I helped with the illustrations too.”
The class remained silent. They were stunned by Paul’s own bravery in sharing this information. Some even felt guilty for judging too quickly.
Mrs. Hopkins broke the silence, “Thank you for sharing that with us, Paul. But as a class, I am so disappointed that you made a friend feel unwelcome by what he chose to wear.”
Mrs. Hopkins paused while a few classmates whispered apologies.
“No matter whether you are a boy or girl or anyone else, you are allowed to wear, play, and like anything you want. There are no boy's or girl's clothes, toys, colours, or activities. Everyone can be who they want to be.”
Just then, PJ raised his hand and said, “Yes, my sister is on the football team too.”
“My brother comes to ballet with me,” Lucy, a crayon, chimed in.
A few other students also remembered things they or their friends did that were outside of the stereotypical norm.
They thought of girls playing with cars and boys playing with dolls.
They thought of boys who liked the colour purple and girls who loved to play in the mud.
“There are so many examples, and we shouldn’t judge any. We should let everyone be free to express themselves in their own unique way,” Mrs. Hopkins announced.
Mrs. Hopkins made all of the students apologise to Paul and asked him if he wanted to read the story his Mum wrote to his classmates. Everyone was in awe of the illustrations he helped draw, and they loved the story of the brave princess in the hospital.
“I’m going to dress as her next year,” Alfie shouted.
“Me too,” a few more friends said.
Princess Paul finally felt proud of his costume, and for the rest of the day, he happily twirled, showing it off to anyone who was curious.
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