The Emperors New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (Paperback)

by Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Starbright Foundation (Compiler) "YOU MIGHT EVEN SAY I'M NOSY..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Clothes, Prime Minister

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Sure, you may know the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. But have you ever heard it from the point of view of the Emperor's underwear? Or from the Imperial Mirror? Or the honest boy's mother? An all-star cast retells and illustrates Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about the foolish king who is too vain to admit he can't see his sumptuous new clothes, which, according to the dastardly weavers, can only be seen by "visionaries gifted with true taste and imagination." Twenty-three celebrities and 23 acclaimed illustrators donated their time and creativity to this project sponsored by the Starbright Foundation, which develops products and programs that enable seriously ill children to confront the mental and emotional challenges beyond their medical conditions. From Madonna to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, from Robin Williams to Dr. Ruth Westheimer, these well-known personalities each take on a different perspective of the fairy tale, creating a riotous retelling that will have everyone in the family bent double with laughter (Calvin Klein himself tells the royal underwear's version of the story!). But that's not all. Award-winning artists like William Joyce (who did the cover), Chris Van Allsburg, Kinuko Y. Craft, Maurice Sendak, Quentin Blake, and S. Saelig Gallagher lend their imaginative skill to each chapter, depicting two dozen fabulous and unusual angles to the story. Winner of a 1999 Hans Christian Andersen Award, this amusing version of a classic will keep readers in stitches, as it were. The accompanying CD of this new paperback edition brings the story to vivid life. (Ages 8 to 108) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
For this star-studded, collaborative interpretation of the egocentric emperor's sober unveiling, the cast of characters expands to include the perspectives of an imperial physician (as told by Dr. Ruth Westheimer) and a court jester (who else but Robin Williams)Aeven the emperor's trunks talk (animated by the voice of Calvin Klein: "nothing comes between me and my Emperor!"). Steven Spielberg, who makes an appearance in the text playing "the honest boy" who blows the whistle on the emperor's birthday suit, also pens the book's introduction. Each character's concise monologue (recorded by the reteller on an enclosed CD) is paired with a portrait, offering the venerable artists here latitude for satiric humor: Sendak's evil prime minister plots the emperor's undoing in the bathtub with repeated images of the crowned man's bare behind on the wallpaper; garbed in white silk bow tie, ruffled cuffs and primped tresses, C.F. Payne's imperial dresser could have prepped the founding fathers; and Daniel Adel's painting of Madonna as Marie Antoinette is a showstopper. As in all such compendiums, some offerings are weaker than others (Do readers really need to hear from the spinning wheel?), and they might all come off as so many disparate vignettes if not for Blake's addled moth providing the comic visual through-line, transporting readers from one end of the empire to the other. The best jokes can be gleaned from a quick perusal, but the book will likely grace the coffee tables of those who care about the celebrity scene. First printing 200,000; $500,000 ad/promo. (Oct.) FYI: All proceeds from the sale of the book go to the Starbright Foundation, which gives assistance to seriously ill children.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company; Book and CD edition (October 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156010690
• ISBN-13: 978-0156010696
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #967,314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great boy's book!, November 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Emperor's New Clothes : An All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (with Audio CD) (Hardcover)

I have three boys 10,7,and 6. They absolutely loved this book, especially my 7 year old! He must have listened to it 50 times in 2 weeks. We read a lot of books and I have never heard him laugh out loud like he did for this book. He has talked about it ever since he first read it. This version adds humor and wit to an old classic without ruining the story line. The story is told from the perspective of the people and objects involved in it. This is a fabulous way to tell the story! The wonderful artwork and change of voices on each page holds the attention of younger children all the way through this rather long book. The kids enjoyed looking at the pictures and retelling the story themselves without listening to the CD as well. The only problem we had with this was the fact that the CD couldn't jump to the page we left off on. We always had to start the story over. The kids never seemed to mind it - just me!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviews response-This is a fun book! Not a teaching book!, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Emperor's New Clothes : An All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (with Audio CD) (Hardcover)

As a Reading Recovery and Title I reading teacher I am thrilled when a book comes out that gives children an opportunity to enjoy literature in such a unique and non-threatening manner. I work with children everyday that see reading as a chore and never pick up books on their own. This book, and hopefully more like it, allow a child to listen to a story with (quite a bit!) detail and descriptive language. It is fairly long but can be listened to while playing,etc. This book, I believe, was not intended for reading aloud or teaching reading and a great deal of the content is way over a young child's head - as is a good Bugs Bunny cartoon! That's what makes this book so wonderful for children of all ages! The content and language will grow with them and they will pick up something new everytime they listen. Do not buy this book as a follow along or to teach children to read. Buy it for fun!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and entertaining for kids four and above., January 3, 1999

By	[e-mail] "[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emperor's New Clothes (Hardcover)

The book itself is beautiful and the CD is wonderful and easy to follow. Its a great way to entertain a child or children and get tham interested in reading. My daughter never liked the story until now. She almost has it memorized and is beginning to recognize words. My one criticism and caution to other parents is the Fran Drescher character because of the use of an inappropriate term considering the audience this was meant to address. I was shocked to hear it and surprised that it was not edited out. Children hear enough bad language elsewhere, there was no need to tarnish such a wonderful product in this manner. I hope that the Starbright Foundation and Steven Spielberg will gift us with many more such books.