Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. Illustrator Craft continues her series of sumptuously illustrated picture-book fairy tales with this story, with text written by her husband. It is a familiar tale: the beautiful Princess Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle and falls asleep, only to be reawakened 100 years later by the kiss of a young prince. Mahlon Craft relates events in formal language, using specifics that correspond to most traditional Brothers Grimm version. The lush, richly detailed, oil-on-watercolor paintings perfectly complement the text, with the artist skillfully using light to focus attention on particular sections of her picture. Borders of briar roses frame the text, and beautifully embellished capital letters head each "chapter," adding to the overall elegance of the book. No source notes are provided, and the small, delicate typeface may prove difficult for newly independent readers, but this is an attractive offering that will be popular with fairy-tale fans. Kay Weisman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This lengthy retelling embellishes the traditional tale, adding a scene in which the twelfth fairy returns to the sleeping castle in a chariot drawn by dragons. Exquisitely detailed illustrations lavish in color and design make this a suitable gift edition. The pictures feature elaborately adorned costumes, an abundance of flowers, and plenty of other details to pore over. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Illustrations as beautiful as Sleeping Beauty herself grace this traditional but sparse retelling of the 100-year enchantment of a princess who comes to be known as "Briar Rose." The enchantment is broken only when a brave knight has the courage to confidently enter the briar-covered castle, find the princess, and give her the kiss that breaks the spell. The tale is a showcase for K.Y. Craft's (The Adventures of Tom Thumb, 2001, etc.) elaborate, oil-over-watercolor illustrations. If there is need for yet another telling of this story, the richly detailed paintings brushed with gold are definitely the focal point of this edition. The title page illustration shows a sleeping princess, Aurora, in a circular frame that makes the viewing appear as a look through a telescope back into time. As readers step into the tale, the story unfolds with illuminated letters and full-page illustrations facing each full-page of text. Several scenes are given detailed and glorious double-paged spreads. The final illustration mirrors the circular shape of the first, and brings readers once again to the outside of the story, looking in on a castle in misty cloudlike surroundings. And of course, the princess and her prince live happy and contented lives and their story is remembered even to this day. Simply elegant. (Folklore. 6-11)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
