Beauty and the Beast - Hardcover

Grade 2-4-- Most modern versions of Beauty and the Beast have been shortened considerably from Madame de Beaumont's original tale. Gerstein utilizes only 3 of the 12 children--Beauty and her whiny and greedy elder sisters, whom he names Edwina and Sybill. The remaining story follows the major events faithfully. The text reads aloud well, although it is not as formal as Andrew Lang's reasonably authentic translation in The Blue Fairy Book (Dover, 1965). Mia Farrow's voice on the accompanying cassette is light and pleasant, with just enough drama to maintain interest. The illustrations, rendered in a somewhat limited palette of blue grays and peachy golds with touches of rose and green, depict the story well but do not display the opulence exhibited in versions by Marianna Mayer (Four Winds, 1978) or Jan Brett (Clarion, 1989). In fact, Gerstein's ink line and color wash illustrations are reminiscent of Marcia Brown's Cinderella ( Scribners, 1954). Not flashy, but the book has substance. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.