Product Description

Sleeping Beauty's enchanted slumber has captivated readers' hearts for centuries. Now brought luminously to life by K. Y. Craft's lavish paintings, this new edition of a timeless favorite is sure to enchant readers both young and old. Fairy tale lovers have been eagerly awaiting Craft's next magical romance since the release of her Cinderella. With illustrations inspired by the magnificent style of Baroque painters, the sumptuous color and exquisite detail of this breathtaking interpretation make it a dream come true.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1696879 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-26
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .1 pounds
• Binding: Library Binding
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
So perfect are the Pre-Raphaelite details and gestures that it's easy to imagine Kinuko Craft's (Adventures of Tom Thumb) paintings hanging in a gallery. Her husband Mahlon Craft's enhanced version of Sleeping Beauty affords wide scope for the artist's romanticism. In a new episode at the outset, for example, the queen meets a frog that predicts the birth of her daughter; in the facing art, the queen, dressed in a diaphanous white gown, languidly loosens her hair ribbon, while the frog, brought forward by cunning attention to light and detail, waits to speak to her. The backdrop is a dark forest, and the effect is properly otherworldly. Farther on, when the king and queen discover the evil fairy's handiwork, the good fairy comes to ease their grief; Craft portrays the fairy descending from gilded clouds, driving a chariot drawn by dragons. The fairies are transparent, like spirits; the evil fairy is a gothic horror in black draperies. Aurora is ethereally lovely, the landscapes magnificent and the palace splendid. Families aiming to assemble a library of classic fairy tales may well settle on this as the definitive Sleeping Beauty. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-Through this sumptuous presentation, Princess Aurora joins that elite group of personages whose stories are ornamented by Craft's lush illustrative style. Building on the Grimms' shortened version, this retelling of the classic tale of kind and vengeful fairies, a 100-year sleep, and a determined prince is thoroughly embellished both literally and visually. The carefully posed and composed oil-on-watercolor paintings are imbued with lyrical enchantment and capture the elegance of 15th-century Europe. Charming details are everywhere: an illuminated manuscript-style letter opens each page, often incorporating details from the story, and the artwork includes such delightful touches as the grandiose dragon-drawn chariot of the 12th fairy and the somnolent canine guardian she gives Princess Aurora. The phrasing and vocabulary are appropriately formal and the pacing is dramatic, with pivotal moments commanding full-page spreads. A thoroughly enchanting and luxurious addition for any fairy-tale collection.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
K.Y. Craft, winner of more than 100 graphic arts awards, has illustrated a number of books for children, including The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Cinderella. She lives in Norfolk, Connecticut.