Product Description

This classic tale is retold by Adèle Geras with her signature grace, while Christian Birmingham's luminous chalk and pastel illustrations, as well as delicate black-and-white charcoal sketches scattered throughout the text, bring Sleeping Beauty's enchanted world to life. "Birmingham's opulent illustrations wed Geras's lush prose for happily-ever-after results in this version of the classic fairy tale." - Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #542114 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .53" h x 10.80" w x 10.68" l, 1.64 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-5–Geras has elaborated upon Charles Perrault's classic tale, drawing out the story with the addition of descriptive details and dialogue, while changing the plot only slightly. Birmingham's full-page, romantic illustrations have the blurred, softly textured appearance of oil pastel and paint. Many pages are adorned with vignettes done in soft pencil, and a pale blue border of vines and flowers surrounds every page of larger-than-average-size text. Although this is a lovely edition, readers who appreciate the traditional story for its straightforward narration may be put off by the abundance of conversation. Mahlon F. Craft's retelling (SeaStar, 2002), featuring oil-and-watercolor paintings by K. Y. Craft, is closer in style to Perrault's version.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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From Booklist
Gr. 2-4. The generous trim size, title stamped in gold, and opulent cover artwork (a lovestruck prince kneeling before his enchanted maiden, as glimpsed through a hedge burgeoning with roses) may be all the convincing a fairy-tale enthusiast needs to pluck this off the shelf. Those same enthusiasts, though, may be disappointed to find that the content is richer in words than images: of the book's 64 pages, only 12 are graced with full-color illustrations, which are scattered throughout like old-fashioned color plates. Elsewhere Geras' dense, Perrault-based text--not to be confused with the author's 2001 retelling inspired by the Tchaikovsky ballet--is broken up with small, black-and-white sketches. When one gets an eyeful of Birmingham's soft, gleaming pastels, though, it's worth the wait. His interpretation of the tale is pitch-perfect, all brocaded drapery, golden embellishment, and, during the castle's 100-year sleep, picturesque decay. Though the shorter and more fully illustrated offering by Mahlon and Kinuko Craft (2002) is better for sharing with groups, this version has a place in larger folklore collections and may be particularly welcomed by children's-lit students at the university level. Jennifer Mattson
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