Cupid and Psyche [Hardcover]

M. Charlotte Craft (Author), Kinuko Y. Craft (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Psyche is the most beautiful woman in the world, yet the oracle at Delphi foresees she will fall in love with a creature feared even by the gods themselves.

Magically, Psyche finds herself in a magnificent castle fitted with sweet music, attentive servants, and a charming but invisible host. Soon she falls in love with this man she has never seen, but in a moment of doubt she betrays his trust. To win back his love, Psyche must show that she is as brave as she is beautiful by performing three impossible tasks.

Perhaps the greatest love story of all, Cupid and Psyche is unsurpassed in its richness and drama. Marie Craft's lively, suspenseful retelling of this classic Greek myth will appeal to young and old alike. And these legendary lovers have inspired forty lush luminous paintings by award-winning artist Kinuko Craft.

Lavishly illustrated and thrillingly told, here is a book to be treasured forever.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First-time author Marie Charlotte Craft and her mother, award-winning illustrator Kinuko Craft combine detailed oil-over-watercolor paintings and easy-to-read text to introduce the story of the arrow-shooting Cupid, god of love, and the beautiful Princess Psyche to younger readers. Though the story is about their union, the book unfolds as a fairy tale, skirting over the details of love so that it's appropriate for even the smallest children. Cupid's nocturnal visits are for conversation only and the two don't marry or have their child until the last sentence.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?The late post-Hellenistic story of Cupid (Eros) and Psyche is more fairy tale than myth. It allegorically represents the maturing of the soul (psyche) under the influence of love (eros). Craft retells Apuleius's story (although Apuleius's name nowhere appears) with several minor and two significant changes. When Venus seeks revenge on the too-beautiful Psyche, she instructs her son to make the girl a slave (in various translations) to an "unworthy," "poor and abject," or "ugly and monstrous" love. Craft's charge is to make her love "the most frightening creature in the world," neatly meshing with the description of Cupid as one whose power even the gods fear. In abridging the story, Craft loses some of the tension in the family drama of the sisters' envy, Venus's enmity, and Psyche's efforts (here she is aided by Cupid, while in Apuleius even stones spontaneously help her). When she returns from her last task, with the box containing one day's beauty, Craft misses the connection between sleep and beauty, emphasizing instead the sleep of death. The sensational oil-over-watercolors should guarantee this book wide circulation. Elegantly bordered, the elaborate paintings incorporate elements of neoclassical, 19th-century, and Art Deco design into richly detailed, idealized romantic tableaux. The over-the-top lushness of the art compensates for the insipidity of the characters' faces, drawn from type rather than from life. This gorgeous Valentine will long outlast February's flurry.?Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1St Edition edition (June 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688131638
• ISBN-13: 978-0688131630
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic myth retold beautifully for generations to come, August 29, 1999

By 

"mediaevalbaebeladytara" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cupid and Psyche (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche. I bought the book because of the beautiful paintings by K.Y. Craft, but was surprised to also find it well written and entertaining to read. I am a collector of beautiful children's books though I am in my teens. I am proud to add this book to my collection waiting for my children. Take time to look at every detail in the writing and pictures. You are sure to read this book and over and over again and at times just look at the pictures. The paintings of K.Y. Craft fit perfectly with the writings of Charlotte Craft and add a mist over this beautiful story of jealously, beauty, tradgedy, and of course love.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated and told, July 18, 2001

By 

Tracy (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cupid and Psyche (Hardcover)

Being a mother of two children...I buy lots of children's books. But also being an artist, I gravitate toward beautifully illustrated books. And this is one of the most beautifully illustrated books that i have ever come across. And because of this, I plan to track down other books with the same illustrator, Kinuko Craft. I love mythology and the story of Cupid and Psyche is one of my favorites. M. Charlotte Craft and Kinuko Craft deserve high praise for there superb work of Cupid and Psyche! Buy this book!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cupid and Psyche, October 5, 2000

By 

"ycasablanca" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cupid and Psyche (Hardcover)

I am an artist and collector of beautifully illustrated books. Not only is this book exquisite in its illustrations, it also gives a child a very comprehensive understanding of the mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche. I definitely recommend to anyone as a must.