By Robert Munsch
A princess loses everything to a dragon, outsmarts it in a paper bag, and decides the prince isn't worth marrying.
A dragon burns down Princess Elizabeth's castle, torches her clothes, and flies off with Prince Ronald. With nothing left to wear but a paper bag, Elizabeth sets off to get him back, and beats the dragon with her wits instead of a sword.
This is the book for the princess-obsessed child who's ready for a princess with a brain. Elizabeth wins by being smart, not by being rescued, and the last page, where she looks at the ungrateful prince and just walks away, gets a laugh and a cheer every single time. It's short, it's funny, and it plants a whole idea without ever preaching it.