School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 4-An appealing collection of 10 fairy tales, including some of the most familiar, such as "Sleeping Beauty," "Hansel and Gretel," and "Snow White." A few selections are less well known, such as "Little Mouse and Lazy Cat" and "The Swans and the Brave Princess." Pirotta writes like a storyteller, with great imagery and description, and the lively stories read aloud beautifully. They are not as severe as those by the Grimms, which makes them suitable for a younger audience. In "Snow White," for example, in the original version, the evil queen is forced to put on red-hot iron shoes at Snow White's wedding and dances to her death; here, her heart breaks into a thousand fragments as the mirror breaks. Pirotta also adds evocative descriptions, as in "Hansel and Gretel": "the forest echoed with the sound of hooting owls and howling wolves," which adds to the overall sense of fear. Clark's dark, twisty branches in the forest enhance the mood of this story. The large typeface, generous use of white space, and overall design make this book one children can read themselves, and the artist's expressive illustrations contribute to the appeal. No sources are listed.-Robin L. Gibson, Granville Parent Cooperative Preschool, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Lovers of folklore will enjoy this noteworthy collection. These ten stories, including ""The Sleeping Beauty: The Story of Briar Rose,"" ""The Magic Gingerbread House: The Story of Hansel and Gretel,"" and ""The Golden-Haired Girl in the Tower: The Story of Rapunzel"" are illustrated in glorious full color. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A British import offers ten mostly familiar tales from the Brothers Grimm, retold in clear if uninspired language. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rose Red, Rapunzel and the Frog Prince share the stage with the Little Mouse and the Lazy Cat and the Six Swans. Pirotta softens some of the tales slightly: Rapunzel doesn't give birth to twins she must raise alone, and the wicked step-queen in Snow White dies of anger rather than from dancing in red-hot iron shoes. Nice design features include large, attractive type and an open layout with full- and half-page images and flowers by the page numbers to track each story. Clark's pictures are clean-lined and richly colored with slightly exaggerated figures who have sharp features and pointed chins. They are set in an almost contemporary world: Snow White wears a cardigan and a flowered skirt in the dwarves' vaguely 19th-century front hall, and the 12 dancing princesses wear party dresses that could have been from the 1960s. A lovely new collection to add to the already stuffed shelves of fairy tales. (Fairy tales. 7-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
With pictures by the same artist who illustrated The McElderry Book of Aesop's Fables0 (2005) , 0 Pirotta's retellings of 10 familiar tales has the same striking, accessible format. Large pages, spacious text, plenty of white space, and corner floral motifs provide the perfect backdrop for Clark's familiar, folksy yet contemporary figures. The pictures, from two to seven per story, vary from sidebars to banners to full-page spreads. Children will enjoy the artwork, lit by whimsical details, and Pirotta's down-to-earth language will read well aloud. --Julie Cummins Copyright 2006 Booklist
