Bunny and the Beast [Hardcover]

Molly Coxe (Author), Pamela Silin-Palmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Renowned artist Pamela Silin-Palmer brings her stunning paintings of animals in clothes to the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast. The story is retold with a bunny rabbit as Beauty, and a bullterrier as the beast who is destined to become a handsome bunny prince. The text includes touches of humor to match the witty, beautiful paintings. Kids will love finding the funny froggy troubadour on each spread, who reacts melodramatically to each step of the story.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Molly Coxe (Big Egg) casts a rabbit and a bull terrier in the starring roles, while Pamela Silin-Palmer outfits them in spectacular, lavish costumes, placing them in positively sumptuous settings. The story is familiar: a wealthy merchant falls on hard times, much to the dismay of his two snooty daughters. The third, sweet daughter makes the best of the situation, even when the hapless dad gets in a pickle, requiring young Bunny to be packed off to a beast's castle. Her pure love for the beast breaks the spell he's been under, transforming him back to his original form as a handsome rabbit prince, fortuitously enough. The magic here is in the glorious illustrations, although the quick-as-a-bunny narrative is appealing, as well. In her rich oil paintings, Silin-Palmer juxtaposes whimsical situations with a formal style inspired by "sixteenth-century painters, medieval tapestries, and the pre-Raphaelites." The long-legged Bunny gracefully leaps across the pages, flower blossoms, butterflies, and stars abundantly scattered in her path. Her Beast is hardly the terrifying monster of Coxe's description ("His eyes were angry, his teeth were sharp, and his claws were long"); but his ever-drooling tongue and aggressive stance does bring to mind the less-than-amicable traditional relationship between rabbits and dogs. Children familiar with the classic fairy tale will delight in Coxe and Silin-Palmer's remarkable version--the message of selflessness and blind love certainly remains intact. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Coxe (Big Egg) and Silin-Palmer (The Nightingale and the Wind) bring humor, if not air-tight internal logic, to this full-dress retelling of a familiar tale. Here, a rabbit merchant down on his luck strikes a deal with a rose-keeping Beast. The characters' brisk repartee keeps the story moving at a pace worthy of any scurrying rabbit. For example, after the Beast asks the merchant to bring him one of his daughters, the distraught man wails, "If you must devour someone, devour me," to which the quick-witted Beast replies, "If I were merely hungry, I would have eaten you already." The language, the length of the text and the type size are most appropriate for older readers. Silin-Palmer's sprawling, elaborate paintings command attention with their elegant floral borders and bountiful details: lavish costumes, lush gardens dominated by rabbit-shaped topiary, frog courtiers. The artist's choice of a benign-looking bull terrier to play the role of Beast seems at odds with the text ("His eyes were angry, his teeth were sharp, and his claws were long," writes Coxe at the Beast's first appearance); how is this dog more "beastly" than a rabbit? Readers who don't want to look too closely at the story's workings, however, can content themselves with its pretty trappings. Ages 5-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (February 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375804684
• ISBN-13: 978-0375804687
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,271,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BraveMouse Books is a mouse-sized company with a big brave mission: to publish great adventure stories for young children. Every book will have a robust plot, endearing young heroes, not-too-evil bad guys, a satisfying (and surprising!) conclusion, and of course, beautiful illustrations. Our first book, Benjamin and Bumper to the Rescue, won the 2011 Nautilus Award for Best Picture Book of the Year. The Nautilus Awards recognize "Books and Audio Books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living & positive social change, while at the same time they stimulate the "imagination" and offer the reader "new possibilities" for a better life and a better world."

To learn more about BraveMouse books, check out the website: www.bravemousebooks.com

Favorite quote of author, Molly Coxe:

"At all times, be mindful and vigilant that you do not cling to your perceptions of the universe, and the beings within it, as real and solid. Train yourself to see everything as the play of unreal apparitions." P.R.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book for children or adults!, January 18, 2002

By 

Wendy Rae Leaumont (Bossier City, LA) - See all my reviews

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

I am 27 years old and I collect "Beauty and the Beast" books, and have about 60 books in my collection. It is my favorite fairy tale, and the story is timeless. I love to see it told in all different ways, especially with wonderful illustrations like these. I don't have any children, but will get this for my godchildren! "Bunny and the Beast" is my most recent acquisition, and it's an outstanding addition to my collection. I love it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastical!, May 2, 2001

By 

Asunsetorange (Sunny Florida) - See all my reviews

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

Okay, so I just checked this out from the library yesterday and my kids (two daughters, ages 4 &6) were fighting over it! I don't usually do this so soon, but I ran out... and immediately bought a copy of it for my personal (keepsake) bookshelf. These honestly have to be the best illlustrations I've ever seen in a book -- period! Even my husband leafed through it and said, "Oh, you've got to BUY this book -- as soon as possible!" :) I enjoyed the story and pictures as much as my children did. This is bound to become a new "classic". My 6 y/o is an aspiring author and illustrator and seeing this book really inspired her to continue her efforts. Great book! Someone please give these ladies a medal. This is the kind of stuff kids should grow up on. Thank you Molly Coxe for a super re-telling of a classic and Pamela Silin-Palmer for your glorious artwork! :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Spin on the Old Fairy Tale, July 12, 2006

By 

Dawn Woolcott (Vancouver WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

Disney has nothing on this. This book has such wonderfully rich, fabulously detailed illustrations! Every illustration has so many wonderful details, you spend more time looking at the pictures than reading the tale. The story is not the same as the Disney version - much gentler and simpler. The Beast is much kinder and not scary like the Beast of the film. The book is one that will enchant most children and the illustrations are worthy of framing.