Beauty and the Beast [Hardcover]

Marie LePrince de Beaumont (Author), Hilary Knight (Illustrator), Richard Howard (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Through her great capacity to love, a kind and beautiful maid releases a handsome prince from the spell which has made him an ugly beast.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-- Poor Beauty! Poor Beast! de Beaumont's popular and highly romantic story of a noble, but hideously ugly beast who wins the love of gentle, kind-hearted Beauty suffers badly from poorly executed illustrations . In Howard's lengthy but smooth and coherent text, the greed and jealousy of Beauty's sisters, the consequences of the family's misfortunes, and the splendors of the Beast's palace are faithfully described in complex, stately language. A slightly ironic tone allows de Beaumont's voice to come through clearly, reflecting her "moralistic" commentary on the hypocrisy and pretentions of the society she knew. While the text is nicely modulated and suited to the story, Knight's illustrations are quite another matter, featuring vapid faces, awkward figures, and uninspired composition. In places, they misrepresent the story and, overall, they destroy any sense of drama or magic that the text provides. Beauty's father, described as "wise," looks merely foolish. The Beast, despite his pivotal importance to the story, is truly unexceptional and fails to evoke any real terror. In fact, the garish, saccharine-sweet colors give the whole book an unpleasant and inappropriately cartoonlike character. Stick with the Mercer Mayer version (Four Winds, 1978). --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 35 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st ed edition (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671707205
• ISBN-13: 978-0671707200
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,263,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute favorite from childhood, May 11, 2009

By 

Eanswythe Grabowski (Agoura Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I still have this book, a bit battered but still beautiful. The illustrations capture the look of art nouveaux. There is a mirror in the book that looks just like one I saw in the Detroit Institute of Art. My father gave this to me when I was 5. I am holding on to it to show my grandchildren. Because of this book, I began collecting illustrated children's books. This book is a treasure in my library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reissue this beautiful book, please!, April 9, 2009

By 

NY film buff "A reader from NY, NY" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This lovely illustrated version of the classic tale should be reissued immediately. The lush, dreamlike illustrations by Hilary Knight are enough to make this book a must-have for collectors as well as children. Every image is exquisite; instead of the usual blonde heroine, Beauty is presented as a faintly Audrey Hepburn-esque brunette with sultry eyelids and a cascade of straight, raven hair. Landscapes and interiors are rendered with richness, detail, and imagination. What a pity that this volume--which I remember from my childhood--is now rarely to be found even in libraries!

5.0 out of 5 stars College book...., September 3, 2011

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beauty and the Beast (Hardcover)

No, really, World Lit. We had to read this book, then watched a whole bunch of black and white films based on it, a few French, then even watched the Disney one - and had to take a test on it. Wonderful story - simple, easy to follow, beautifully illustrated. I am kind of amazed it is still around. If you can get it do so. Wonderful gift for a young child.