The Lady and the Lion: A Brothers Grimm Tale - Hardcover

Jacqueline K. Ogburn; Laurel Long

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803726511 ISBN 13: 9780803726512

Publisher: Dial, 2003

Synopsis

An epic novel of love, courage, and honor follows a young woman, who, after facing a ferocious lion to save her father, discovers that the lion is actually a kind prince under the spell of an evil enchantress, and as love blossoms between them, she must embark on a seven-year quest to save him.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4--A romantic retelling of the Grimm tale more commonly known as "The Singing, Soaring Lark" (also, "The Lilting, Leaping Lark"). With its themes of love transformed and questing heroine, the story has much in common with "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" (which Long and Ogburn note in a foreword). The tale begins when a father promises a lark to his youngest daughter and then must make a hard bargain with its owner, a lion. To fulfill that agreement, the young woman returns to the lion's enchanted castle. She discovers that he is a lion by day and a handsome prince by night. The two fall in love, marry, and live happily until the lady desires to return home for a visit. Long's oil paintings on watercolor paper are appropriately lavish and romantic, rich with color and detail. The endpapers are covered with elaborate line drawings of vines and animals, and ornate, stylized borders frame each page. Long and Ogburn emphasize the heroine's strength of character: she honorably carries out her father's promise and greets the lion, noting: "A lion that loves birds will do no harm." The beast is ultimately transformed through the magic of human love, along with the heroine's perseverance.--Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
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From Booklist:

K-Gr. 3. As they explain in a note, Long and Ogburn have adapted and condensed one of the Grimms' fairy tales, "The Singing, Springing Lark," into a story that also has elements of "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." A merchant's daughter finds her true love, who lives under an enchantment that gives him the form of a lion by day and a prince by night. After she loses him through a foolish mistake, she searches the world to find him and win his freedom from the wicked enchantress. The dramatic tale is smoothly told, but the illustrations, with even more drama and lush with romance, take center stage here. The oil paintings use flowing compositions, swirling lines, rich colors, and a profusion of subtle patterns to create a series of detailed scenes combining European and Middle Eastern elements. A beautiful picture book for the fairy-tale set. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0803726511
• ISBN 13: 9780803726512
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Laurel Long