Review by Booklist Review
In this familiar Grimm Brothers tale, 12 princesses wear holes through their shoes every night, and their father offers the hand of any one of them in marriage to whatever man can solve the mystery. Prince after prince fails to discover the truth, until a soldier returning home comes to the kingdom, and with the aid of an old wise woman, discovers that the princesses journey every night to a magical underground kingdom and dance until dawn. There have been many variations of this tale, and this picture book, to its detriment, brings nothing new. Jay's trademark lush, crackle-glazed art is the highlight; young readers will be drawn to her richly colored backdrops. But the princesses themselves are little more than background, and this will work best as an introduction. Meatier, more diverse versions of the same tale include Ruth Sanderson's The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1990), as well as two other picture books of the same name by Jane Ray (1996) and Rachel Isadora (2007) respectively.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Ritchie offers a well-written version of the classic tale of princesses with a secret. Though the sisters are locked in their bedchamber at night, their shoes are worn out every morning. Their father, the king, initiates a contest to solve the mystery; suitor after suitor is banished when he cannot figure out what's happening. A soldier is given an invisibility cloak by an old woman and follows the princesses on their nightly adventure-dancing with princes across a lake. The truth comes out, the king is relieved, and the soldier marries the eldest princess; he admires her spunk and sparkling eyes. Jay produces her trademark crackle-glazed paintings featuring elongated figures and dreamlike scenes. VERDICT An enchanting, accessible edition of the classic story. For fans of fairy tales and princess lovers everywhere.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence © Copyright 2016. 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 engaging close retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm tale features the twelve princesses whose shoes are found every morning "worn with holes, as though they had been danced in all night." It takes a clever soldier with a magic cloak to discover the princesses' secret. Jay's colorful, crackle-glazed illustrations give the detailed spreads a folklike, antique feel, which enhances the fairy-tale elements. (c) Copyright 2017. 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.