Customer Reviews

The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Mulberry books)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As usual, any book illustrated by K.Y. Craft is wonderful to look at, and will surely enchant anyone with a "penchant for princesses." Almost worth the price of admission by itself.

The story has a lot to recommend it also. The classic plot has been nicely modified to give some depth of character and intelligence to the clever young suitor and to the object of his interest, the youngest of the twelve bewitched princesses. (For those unfamiliar with the story, the king's daughter have been put under a spell which send them to a secret realm every night where they dance the night away; the young hero discovers the secret and breaks the spell.)

My 4-year-old daughter enjoys the story very much, but there are elements to the story that she is probably not catching on to, and which older kids will enjoy. A good read-aloud for young kids, and a nice stretch for early readers, I should think. (Not beginning readers, though. The vocabulary is rich rather than constrained.)

I remember reading this book in my elementary school library it was by far my favorite. Even when I went on to graduate I never forgot it. Now I'm married and have a child of my own, when I fould out I was pregnant I went looking for this book and bought it off of Amazon.com. It was just as i had remembered. It is still the most beautiful book i have ever read the illistrations are gorgeous and so detailed. And the story is a perfect fairy tale. All mothers should read this to their children before bed so they'll have fond memories and sweet dreams.

Richly written and illustrated, this book doesn't disappoint. So many fairy tale books go only half-way--either they have great pictures or a well-written story. This is not one of those. Marianna Mayer tells the story with lovely detail and a highly enjoyable style. And the artwork--well, look at the cover! The artwork is amazing! The portrait of Princess Elise almost jumps off the page (or invites you into it, whichever you prefer). And don't overlook the sidebar illustrations on each text page--they add a deeper dimension to the story by giving the reader a glimpse of the magical setting. This book is truly enchanting.

This book is a wonderful fairly tale about twelve princesses. Every night the twelve princesses wear down their new dancing shoes. However, the King does not understand how because he locks the door to their room every night so there is not way that they can get out, but every morning their dancing shoes are torn. Many men have tried to discover the secret however none succeeded. Until one young man discovers their secret, using magic. It is like many other fairy tales in which the characters live happily ever after, however I like this book because of the magical way that they young man finds out the princesses secret. Also the illustrations are great, and the author does a great job at showing the mystical world of fantasy.

I'm a librarian. This is the first baby gift I buy for any baby girl.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a wonderful, magical story in it's own right. Marianna Mayer has woven this tale with sumptuos words that make this book delightful to read out loud. The drawings are so lovely, detailed, and beautifully drawn that both my daughter and I have spent hours looking at the pictures! This is an important book for its beauty and its ability to activate your imagination.

Reading this Twelve Dancing Princesses was a magical experience for me when I was little! I remember being so impressed by this book that I painstakingly copied most of the gorgeous illustrations. K.Y. Craft is a truly inspired and masterful illustrator, and the pictures in this book are so glowing and intricate they'll fascinate most little girls (I'm not sure about boys;the one 4 year old boy I tried to read this to was just not interested), and most adults. The story is your usual fairy tale, a nice interpretation of the Twelve Dancing Princesses tale.

This is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the fairy tale. It also maintains integrity to the older versions.

I remember this being my favorite book when I was little, and a few years ago when I found it by chance, I was taken back to the magical world that Mayer creates! Even though I'm not a little girl anymore, it is still one of my favorite books. The story is beautifully told and the illustrations are exquisite! From beginning to end, this book is perfect for anyone who loves the classic story of the twelve enchanted princesses.

I was familar with this book as a child and bought it for my 7 year old daughter. It took he a moment to wrap her mind around it not being Barbie-related but once we read it and she got lost in the incredible artwork there was no going back. This is a keeper to pass down. The story is dear but the artwork is what gets you talking with your child. Every adult at her party was looking through it with interest. A definite for a children's library.