A Clever Princess named Dara

Fairy tales are full of princesses and they’re usually waiting for a Prince to come to the rescue.

Then there is Dara’s Clever Trap which can be found in the Princess Stories series of Barefoot Books.

Dara hails from Cambodia and this strong female character is smart and quite talented.
She’s not just waiting in the wings and sitting pretty just because she’s an heir to the throne.

Instead, she keeps herself very busy working as an architect and engineer.

Then, in the midst of all the planning for building a new palace, Dara gets married with a man who shares the same interests.


It is a relationship that began as a true partnership!

So, they continue to work alongside each other on a special project that will ultimately be a surprise gift for her father, the King.

But, as you'll soon discover while reading this chapter book, something interferes with their collaboration.

When Dara figures out what's really going in, she immediately puts a plan in place that will set the record straight.

Following this reading, you can keep the story going and keep your child's interest in learning (even when school is out) by discussing a foreign region.

Look up interesting facts about Cambodia or print a map of the world that you can review.

In addition to this activity, below are my “after reading” questions to help form an interactive lesson in the process, such as:

• Dara certainly is clever, but what other qualities also apply to the Princess?
• Dara likes to create palaces and sketches them beforehand. Is this a field that interests you too?
• If so, what other common structures can be found in our modern society that architects and engineers also help to create?
• If not, what other types of careers would you be interested in learning more about?
• What other things could Princess Dara have done to let the King know what really happened?

If you signed up for our Summer Reading Program you'll find this story under the STEM section for ages 6 and up.

Simply click on the title above to learn more about these wonderful books or browse our full catalog here.

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FTC Required Disclosure: I am a Barefoot Books Ambassador. This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made by clicking through to the affiliate links, I receive a small portion to support this website, at no cost to you. Thanks for your support.