The Twelve Dancing Princesses

A retelling of a classic fairy tale finds twelve princesses dancing their shoes to pieces night after night, much to the dismay of their father the king, who offers a young soldier the hand of his princess of choice if he can get to the bottom of things.

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.

Ages 5^-8. An excellent retelling of a Grimms' fairy tale, this picture book has everything a "princess book" should. First, there is a princess and a worthy man who wins her in the end. Even better, it has 11 more princesses, all bold, clever, and beautiful. Best of all, they're beautiful in different ways: blond, black, brown, and auburn hair, both curly and straight, and each young woman with a different skin tone. The pictures have other enigmatic touches as well--a hero with an eye patch, a princess with wings, and manuscript fragments added to the curtains and the princesses' gowns--all the while still celebrating traditional fairy-tale elements. Rich with warm colors and highlights of gold, the opulent artwork features a profusion of patterns within well-composed scenes. For all the action and detail in individual illustrations, the parts never detract from the composition as a whole. Pleasing on many levels, this is a radiant edition of an old favorite. Carolyn Phelan