Anne Carter (4) (1933–)

Beauty is the good daughter of her father whose wealth relies on his ships that are sinking. Beauty's sister's are jealous of her but her father and three brothers love her dearly. Her father tries to get his wealth back and ends up in a castle where he's treated like a King. Her father cuts a rose to bring to Beauty but then a Beast appears. The Beast demands that one of the daughters be brought there to die. Beauty decides on her own to sacrifice herself. Beauty stays in the castle and the Beast treats her so well and she begins to see his goodness. She agrees to Marry the Beast and he transforms into a handsome prince. The battle between good and evil is not between two people in this story. It's about the Beast's own inner battle.… (més)

One of the most popular fairy-tales in the western tradition, the French story of La Belle et la Bête first saw print in 1740, as part of Mme. Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's La jeune américaine, et les contes marins. The story with which contemporary readers are most familiar, however, is the significantly abridged and revised edition published in 1756 by Mme Jeanne-Marie le Prince de Beaumont. It is this version of the tale that provides the text for this Beauty and the Beast, translated into English by Anne Carter, and illustrated by the German artist, Binette Schroeder.

As always, I enjoyed the story itself, with its tale of a wealthy merchant come down in the world, and his three daughters and three sons. (Yes, Disney left out a few things in their film version, and added others!) Beauty, who might also be styled "Devotion," or "Honor" - as she is in Robin McKinley's marvelous retelling, Beauty - makes for a wonderful heroine, and although I have always had mixed feelings about the role played by her envious sisters (something deconstructed by McKinley), I love this tale of a brave young woman's journey towards a better understanding of the differences between reality and appearance, and the nature of her own heart, unreservedly.

Although I think very young children might have trouble sitting through this Beauty and the Beast, as the narrative is fairly long and involved, readers who are at the chapter-book stage should be able to handle it. The illustrations by Binette Schroeder are done in appealing blue and violet tones, and have some charm, although I didn't find her human figures terribly convincing, putting me in the odd position of appreciating the larger paintings more than the specific details. Well worth a look, for readers who love this tale, particularly if they're looking for the full le Prince de Beaumont version!… (més)