The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Picture Puffin) [Paperback]

Jacob Grimm (Author), Brothers Grimm (Author), Errol Le Cain (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 1981 | Series: Picture Puffin

A retelling of the tale of twelve princesses who dance secretly all night long and the poor soldier who follows them and discovers where they dance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nobody knows how to party like these 12 princesses who first twinkled their toes in a Brothers Grimm tale. These young ladies manage to hide their wild nights out from everyone?especially their father, who would never allow such behavior. But each morning the king discovers a dozen pairs of freshly shredded dancing shoes and an exhausted brood of daughters. At wit's end, the king offers a princess's hand in marriage to any man who can expose the daughters' mysterious escapades. Ray's (Magical Tales from Many Lands; Noah's Ark) adaptation reads well as a timeless story of children's rebellion against strict parental rule, adopting a "girls just wanna have fun" attitude toward deceiving the king. In her distinctive style, Ray saturates each page with lush, intricate backgrounds and patterns, whisking readers away to an elegant dream world. Her lavish, richly hued scenes of trees dripping with diamonds and exquisite ball gowns shimmering in the moonlight are the grand stuff of fairy tale fantasy. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4?With the aid of a magic cloak, a soldier discovers how and why 12 princesses dance holes in their shoes every night. Bell's translation of the classic tale is superb. Her polished, lucid narrative is beautifully enhanced by Duntze's elegant, stylized paintings done in a cool, pale palette. Each princess has unique features, enabling readers to follow individuals through the book, and the artist manages to convey their personalities as well. Shoes are literally scattered throughout, from the endpapers to the jester who juggles an assortment of footwear to the boats that bear the princesses to the enchanted castle. There are a few minor inconsistencies: the cut of one of the princess's gowns seems to change and she loses her ornate hat as well, and not all the gowns on the cover match those inside. While this may seem nitpicky, detail is one of the qualities that make the illustrations so enticing. Still, there is plenty here for avid fairy tale fans to pore over. A refreshing new look for an old favorite that will be at home in any collection.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 24, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140503226
• ISBN-13: 978-0140503227
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,785,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful children's book, April 5, 2000

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twelve Dancing Princesses (Paperback)

This is one of the best books my five year old daughter and I have ever read. We first got it out of the library, but I just ordered it because it's a book I know we'll re-read hundreds of times. Everybody knows the Grimm's story: twelve princesses escape every night to go dancing. Their father, the king, doesn't know where they go, only that that in the morning their dancing shoes are in tatters. He offers the hand of one of his daughers in marriage to any suitor who can discover their secrets.Many try, and finally one succeeds. There are two wonderful things about this version. One is that it's clear at the end of the book that the daughter who is chosen doesn't marry the man who figured out their secret. She chooses him „ and plans to keep right on dancing after she gets married! The second great thing about this book is the illustrations, which are so beautiful, you just want to look at them again and again. More important, the princesses are all beautiful, but in exotic and interesting ways. No one size fits all Disneyesque beauties here. Each face is unique. One even wears glasses! Terrific book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rare real classic, March 7, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twelve Dancing Princesses (Hardcover)

When a certain kind of book is read to you as a child, and read repeatedly at that, the child in question is affected in ways that cannot be gauged tangibly. I was read "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", illustrated by Errol Le Cain, repeatedly as a child and it has stuck with me ever since. Some books just do. For the entirety of my childhood life I loved "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" more than any other fairy tale, and it was all due to this beautifully mesmerizing book.

The classic story of how a king attempts to discover the reason why his daughters wear out their shoes every night is rendered here in sumptuous detail. Artist Le Cain spent much of his life in Singapore and India, and his early experiences are well represented in his work. From the gloomy caverns through which the princesses must walk, to the glittering gold, silver, and diamond forests located below the castle, I am still truly mesmerized reading this story. Every page opposite the text contains a border of delicate imaginings and illustrations. Heck, I've noticed things in it now that I never even THOUGHT to discover as a child. Who knew that the good fairy spied on the final wedding? Not I.

It's, to my mind, the most beautifully illustrated fairy tale ever made. If you doubt me, I only ask that you look at the last picture in the book. A parting shot of the abandoned princes, waiting for the princesses to return to their underground realm. Each looking depressed and unhappy as the fake stars and moon hang glittering in the underground sky. Beauty incarnate.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Art, January 15, 2004

By 

Krista Barry (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A Folk Tale from the Brothers Grimm (Easy to Read Folktale) (Paperback)

These illustrations are fit for framing. The story is lovely, magical and fun. This is the stuff of great childrens books. A gem.