Artist and book-illustrator Margaret Early, whose other picture-books include William Tell, Robin Hood and Romeo and Juliet, here turns to the classic French fairy-tale of Sleeping Beauty. The story of a beautiful princess who is given every gift and grace by the good fairies who attend her christening, only to be cursed by a wicked fairy who unexpectedly turns up as well, it is a tale that needs little introduction. The arrival of the prince, after the princess and her entire castle lie asleep for one hundred years, the awakening of the princess, and the happy marriage of the two young royals, are all included in Early's retelling, which is paired with gorgeous, gold-enhanced illustrations...

The fourth picture-book I have read from Early, following upon William Tell, Romeo and Juliet, and Walter McVitty's Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which she illustrated, Sleeping Beauty is undoubtedly my favorite, of the lot. The retelling doesn't really cover any new ground, but it is engaging, while the artwork simply shines. The text is given on the left-hand side of every two-page spread, and the full-page paintings on the right. Both text and paintings are enclosed in beautifully ornate decorative borders. According to the author's afterword, the story was intended by Charles Perrault to be set at the Château d'Ussé, in the Loire Valley, in France, and that is reflected in the artwork. The ornate interior scenes were inspired by the château that once belonged to Early's French Huguenot ancestors. In the end, the entire book is just lovely, and is one I would recommend to fairy-tale devotees, as well as to fans of the artist. ( )