Catholic Review of: The Princess And The Kiss

The Princess and the Kiss is a charming tale about the gift of God’s purity to a young princess. She is given this gift when she is born but only receives it officially when her parents, the king and queen, give it to her when she is around 16. The princess in this book is a model of a strong female with high standards who is not afraid to give up the temporary happiness of marriages proposed to her by several princes. She chooses to wait for God and His plan for her to unfold.

The princess’s purity in the book is in the form of her first kiss, her parents take care of this sacred gift till she is old enough to understand and protect it on her own. This image is a child-like representation of what needs to be veiled and protected till marriage, it will instill in the child reading it that their purity and first kiss are not something to be taken lightly; they are sacred gifts from God.

The princess realizes how amazing the gift of her first kiss is, she is told that she may keep it for herself, or she may give it away as she wants to, but she is cautioned that she should only give her kiss away to the man that she will marry. The princess is determined only to give her kiss to a man who is worthy of it and her.

 A bigger picture is that the princess chooses to wait for God to bring her a husband, patience is a virtue that unfortunately many in the world have not received. However it is never too early to make sure your son or daughter understands the need to wait and be patient for God. Even though the princess receives many offers of marriage to handsome, strong, or rich princes, she refuses them all, she sees that none of them understand how deeply she wants to love her husband, and for him to love her enough to realize what a special gift her first kiss would be when she gave it to him.

It is only when one day as she is walking with her parents that a young farmer comes to the castle and asks to speak with the princess. He tells her that he has nothing to offer her but his first kiss and he proposes to her. But what is truly different about this man from all the princes is that he does not see the princess as an object, or a prize to be won. He sees her as a beautiful daughter of God, whose “beauty was marvelous and whose purity sparkled like diamonds.” He saw her inner grace and wisdom and he respected her as a human person and a creation of God.

The pictures in the book are whimsical and capture the attention; they bring the reader into the story more fully because they are bright and cheerfully decorated. With an eye for detail, the illustrator captures expressions and movements of the people with a simple grace, and almost forces the reader to take another look and study the features of the background and the people.

The Princess and the Kiss is a must have for any young and growing family; it is a wonderful classic with life lessons in an easy to understand form.

“Love… comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere heart.” I Timothy 1:5