The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales [Hardcover]

Chronicle Various Authors (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Fairy Tales

Ten beloved fairy tales are brought to life by world-renowned artists.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5--These 10 traditional tales illustrated by 11 renowned artists have all been published previously as single-tale editions and are now out of print. Comprehensive endnotes discuss the tales, the retellers, and the illustrators. Etienne Delessert's surreal, enigmatic artwork accompanies a version of "Beauty and the Beast" that weighs in at some 50 pages. An eerie version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Fir Tree" is illustrated with Marshall Imsand and Rita Marshall's black-and-white photos with a beautiful child standing in, unsettlingly, for the fir tree. Roberto Innocenti's crisp paintings for "Cinderella," set in the 1920s, are among the best of the lot, but the original English text has been Americanized for this edition. Monique Felix's depiction of "Hansel and Gretel" makes these children into wide-eyed, passive victims who could hardly engineer their escape from a truly horrific hag. Ivan Chermayeff's collagelike paintings are ill suited for the Grimm tale of "The Three Languages." Other selections include the Hungarian tale of "The Enchanted Pig," illustrated by Jacques Tardi; "The Sleeping Beauty," accompanied by John Collier's dark and murky pictures; Seymour Chwast's cheerful and childlike depiction of the Grimms' "Bushy Bride"; "The Fisherman and His Wife," illustrated with the highly narrative paintings of John Howe; and Philippe Dumas's cartoonish take on the Grimms' "The Queen Bee." As an additional purchase, this sampling of illustrators and their various techniques, styles, and use of media serves well enough, and several tales are not readily available elsewhere. But the unevenness of the tellings and the art make collections by Judy Sierra, Jane Yolen, or Mary Pope Osborne more reliable choices.--Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Creative Editions (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568461445
• ISBN-13: 978-1568461441
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,266,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy tales are a cultural legacy, July 9, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

Fairy tales are a cultural legacy that has its origins in virtually every country and every society known to recorded human history. Many of these fabulous tales have exited for centuries in only an oral form and where passed down from one generation of storytellers to another before finally being written down -- beginning around the turn of the 18th century. The Illustrated Treasury Of Fairy Tales showcases ten of the world's best-loved fairly tales superbly enhanced with museum quality artwork which is as visually entertaining to the eye as the stories are engaging to the mind's imagination. Enhanced with the inclusion of a section devoted to "Historical & Biographical Notes", the fairy tales comprising this simply outstanding compendium include: Beauty & The Beast; Cinderella; Hansel & Gretel; The Three Languages; The Fisherman & His Wife; The Queen Bee; Bushy Bride; The Sleeping Beauty; The Enchanted Pig; and The Fir Tree.

4.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic Blending in Illustrations Adds to Conversation, January 19, 2004

By 

Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

The title of this book really tells its tale: "Illustrated" and "Treasury."

I admire the "stretching outside the box" with illustrations outside the standard approach of these well loved (and a couple not so well known) fairy tales. For example, "Cinderella" is illustrated in a style reminiscent of the 1920's.

"The Three Princes" shows an urban setting which could be placed in any decade of the 20th century through today.

I also loved the opening section which tells the history of Fairy Tales in general, which taught me another fun fact: Beauty and the Beast started out being a 362 page book!!

This is a great book for people to read and discuss the fairy tales, especially with children of different ages and willingness to sit through the longer reads.