Review
K.Y. Craft is THE current reigning queen of fairy tale illustration. Some come close (Laurel Long, Paul O. Zelinsky, and a few others) but none can match what she does with a paint brush. It's magic plain and simple and honestly sometimes it strikes me as unnatural that artwork so beautiful is in a children's picture book. I've said this before, but I truly feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my head when I read a book illustrated by Craft. Reading one of her books always takes a little extra time as my daughter and I 'ooh and aah' and gasp and make little comments about each page. I mean look at that cover image for goodness sakes!!!
Oh, but there's a story here too! I read this on the heels of finishing Mercer Mayer's brilliant interpretation of Sleeping Beauty so it was all fresh in my mind. I can't say that this version (written by the artist's husband Mahlon Craft) is as inventive or engaging as Mayer's, but the language is lovely and has it's own sort of appeal. This is also the the telling of the story that most readers are most likely familiar with and, again, that holds a certain appeal. I do urge fans of the tale to branch out and try the Mercer Mayer version as well as he brings something quite different in his interpretation - with both illustrations and text.
My little complaints that keep this from being 5 stars: First, the font is so tiny! I don't wear or need any kind of prescription eyewear and I really struggled. This to me is a significant oversight for a book that is likely to be read aloud. Next, like my goodreads friend Abigail says in her review of this book, I was a little disappointed by the kiss scene. Not only is it the culmination of everything this story is leading up to, but the prose tends towards the sensuous and in a way promises something that isn't delivered.
If everyone would give the little girl in their life a KY Craft illustrated book instead of current best seller [b:Goldilicious|5447354|Goldilicious|Victoria Kann|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vurueWkTL._SL75_.jpg|5514940] I think this world would instantly be a better place!
Oh, but there's a story here too! I read this on the heels of finishing Mercer Mayer's brilliant interpretation of Sleeping Beauty so it was all fresh in my mind. I can't say that this version (written by the artist's husband Mahlon Craft) is as inventive or engaging as Mayer's, but the language is lovely and has it's own sort of appeal. This is also the the telling of the story that most readers are most likely familiar with and, again, that holds a certain appeal. I do urge fans of the tale to branch out and try the Mercer Mayer version as well as he brings something quite different in his interpretation - with both illustrations and text.
My little complaints that keep this from being 5 stars: First, the font is so tiny! I don't wear or need any kind of prescription eyewear and I really struggled. This to me is a significant oversight for a book that is likely to be read aloud. Next, like my goodreads friend Abigail says in her review of this book, I was a little disappointed by the kiss scene. Not only is it the culmination of everything this story is leading up to, but the prose tends towards the sensuous and in a way promises something that isn't delivered.
If everyone would give the little girl in their life a KY Craft illustrated book instead of current best seller [b:Goldilicious|5447354|Goldilicious|Victoria Kann|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vurueWkTL._SL75_.jpg|5514940] I think this world would instantly be a better place!
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