Product Description

Long ago in a province in China there lived an emperor whose greatest pleasure in life was to dress in new clothes.

So begins Demi's retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a proud emperor who does not see what is obvious until he hears the truth from a child.

Based upon several different translations of the original Danish story, Demi's tale is set in old provincial China. Filled with exquisite details, bright panoramas, and golden hues that leap off a wealth of fold-out pages, this story lures readers into a magical place and time. The story follows the four seasons of the year and is packed with visual elements of Chinese culture for readers to pore over for hours.

Demi has captured in text and paintings all the majesty of China and all the magic that makes for the very best fairy tales. This elegant edition of a favorite story is sure to be cherished by all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #602739 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-01
• Released on: 2000-05-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .39" h x 10.60" w x 9.80" l, 1.04 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 42 pages

From Amazon.com
Hans Christian Andersen's beloved, wise, and humorous tale about the emperor who cares more about his appearance than about truthfulness is retold here by award-winning illustrator Demi. A weaver and tailor arrive at the palace one day, promising to make the most beautiful, soft clothes the Emperor has ever seen. Furthermore, these clothes are magic--only clever people can see them. The silly, vain Emperor is soon marching about almost buck-naked (except for some magnificent royal boxer shorts and an undershirt). Will anyone risk being dubbed a fool, and call the Emperor's bluff?

This spectacular version of the story, set in ancient, provincial China, is minimal in text, but overflowing--literally--with exquisite artwork. Several of the pages fold out to 3- or 4-page spreads, lavishly decorated with metallic gold, deep, flat red, and delicate, pale green. Closer examination reveals some comical touches--mainly in the expressions of the sly "magical" tailor and weaver, and the befuddled, blustering Emperor. The people of the province manage to maintain their composure for the most part, but it's clear they're ready to burst into laughter. This truly splendid rendering deserves a place in anyone's fairy-tale collection. Demi's many other original and traditional picture books include The Empty Pot and Kites: Magic Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Set in old China, Demi's (The Nightingale) adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic is as opulent as the vain emperor himself might wish for, with lots of gold ink and five foldout panels. The lean text supports the art but does not compete with it, leaving readers free to lose themselves in Demi's beguiling panoramas. As the artist explains in an endnote, her paintings incorporate traditional Chinese symbols, particularly those of purity and virtue. Readers will want to go back and scrutinize the details so harmoniously worked into each painting, from the elaborate patterns on the characters' clothing to background scenes of the springtime weaving of silk and the summertime flying of kites. The foldouts, however, are a disappointmentAmost of them interrupt rather than extend Demi's compositions. The exception is a climactic double gatefold spread chronicling the scowling emperor, dressed only in a gold undershirt and red undershorts adorned with the image of a dragon, as he stubbornly marches through the countryside in his new "garments." The more closely kids look, the more they will find. Ages 7-10. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Although Andersen's name does not appear in this book, it is a simple retelling of his classic tale. Demi's double-page illustrations are graceful and well designed and are executed in vivid colors, including gold. The pictures are filled with frolicsome children, animals, and birds; the backgrounds depict activities that symbolically relate to heaven, purity, and virtue such as weaving silk, the dragon dance, and kite flying. Several delicate gatefolds add little to the visual flow of the story, though toward the end of the tale, a pair of double fold-out pages of the emperor walking through the province in his amusing dragon-decorated boxers does provide a lovely four-page spread. Naomi Lewis's recent picture-book retelling (Candlewick, 1997), with illustrations by Angela Barrett, is more successful at conveying the irony and wit of the tale. Still, this is an elegant, colorful version of the old story.
Marilyn Iarusso, New York Public Library
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.