Mahlon F. Craft

Author Mahlon F. Craft and illustrator Kinuko Craft, whose earlier collaboration on Sleeping Beauty was a triumph of fairy-tale retelling and artwork, join forces again for this gorgeous picture-book version of Beauty and the Beast. Based upon the version of this story set down by Mme. Jean-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 (itself based upon an earlier tale published by Mme. de Villeneuve in 1740), this retelling follows the traditional outline of the story, in which an impoverished show more merchant moves with his daughters to the countryside, in order to retrench, and to live more frugally. When good fortune seems to smile on the family again, the merchant's daughters all clamor for rich gifts - all save Beauty, who asks only for a rose. The procurement of that rose proves costly however, and Beauty finds herself taking her father's place at a terrible beast's castle, deep in the woods. Here not is all as it seems, and slowly the magic of love begins to work a change on our heroine...

Beauty and the Beast, perhaps the best-known example of the 'enchanted bridegroom' tale - type 425C in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther folklore classification system - is one of my absolute favorite fairy-tales, so I was simply delighted to learn, earlier this year, that a new picture-book retelling by Kinuko Craft, one of my absolute favorite fairy-tale illustrators, was due out this July. I am even more thrilled that I had a chance to look at an advanced readers copy today - thank you indeed to the colleague who provided it to me, as it is a joy to peruse! The retelling is a capable one, but the true joy (as expected) was the lush artwork, which Craft has apparently been working on for over a decade. The initial painting, which shows the country cottage to which the merchant and his daughters have withdrawn, reminded me a bit of the tiny house in What Miranda Knew, one of the formative titles of my early childhood. With that initial positive association, things only went from good to better. The colors used are vibrant without being garish, and each scene is a delight, in every intricate detail. The settings, whether garden or palace, are simply gorgeous - the two-page spread in which Beauty discovers the theatre left me simply breathless at its magnificence - as are the costumes. Beast himself is rather interesting - part bear, part leopard, part boar - and Beauty is lovely (of course). Craft ably captures the enchantment of the tale, but she also captures the emotion, whether it be the tender scene in which Beauty and her father embrace, or the poignant one in which she finds the dying Beast. Strongly recommended to all fairy-tale fans, as well as to admirers of Kinuko Craft's work! show less

As per usual with retold fariytales, the narrative of this book is nothing really special. The author sticks to a relatively Disney-fied version - only giving the 13th/evil fairy less power outside of her curse and the 12th fairy (who alter the curse) a fancy dragon. The illustrations are quite nice though, and give the story a wonderfully Rennaisance Italy kind of feel. THe princess is typically blonde, but she reminds me very much of the youngest Borgia daughter and therefore fits the show more scenery quite well. Craft has a definite mastery of her medium since the illustrations are very highly detailed and it is hard not to be impressed by her careful attention to costuming and architecture. show less

Having explored the world of Greek mythology in Cupid and Psyche, Pegasus, and King Midas and the Golden Touch, the marvelously talented Kinuko Craft has more recently turned her attention to the world of classic European fairy-tales, among them The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Cinderella. In this most recent picture book, she offers a gorgeous version of the famous tale of Sleeping Beauty, with the text arranged by her husband, Mahlon F. Craft.

Although the tale of the sleeping beauty holds show more interest for me as a student of the folktale and its transmuted cousin, the fairy-tale, I have never been able to truly take it to heart. The idea of an enchanted sleep may have appealed to my childish imagination, but the complete passivity of the heroine always prevented me from truly empathizing with her. Whatever one thinks of Cinderella's desire to attend the ball, the reader can at least sympathize with her mistreatment at the hands of her step-family. Beauty, of Beauty and the Beast fame, can be admired, both for the sense of honor that compels her to acknowledge that her father's bargain must be kept, and for the devotion that leads her to take her father's place at the Beast's palace. Princess Aurora, on the other hand, is simply unlucky enough to be the target of a vengeful fairy's curse, and faces no personal and/or moral challenges that might elicit a sense of fellow-feeling from the reader.

This is not to say that Sleeping Beauty holds no appeal whatsoever, as it can still be enjoyed by on the level of a rather simple fantasy (or in the case of some, as a sort-of sexual paradigm, ala Anne Rice). Kinuko Craft's illustrations are, for me, the main joy of this particularly title. As I noted in my review of her Cupid and Psyche, they are quite romantic, and almost overwhelmingly lush... The first full plate, in which the queen is seen bathing by the pool with the prophesying frog, is full of charm. I often think that Craft is at her most compelling when painting somewhat sinister figures, and here is no exception, as the two-page spread in which the king and queen are confronted by a very displeased fairy reveals. I would have awarded this five stars for the illustrations alone, but I found that the painting depicting the famous kiss scene was somehow flat. This was a real disappointment (one of the few I have ever felt in Craft's work), as this is the iconic scene of the tale. I cannot understand how the cover-illustration, which also depicts Aurora in her enchanted sleep, could appear so dynamic, while the "kissing" scene could look so bloated and unappealing. Oh well...

One other note, for the fairy-tale fan: I have noticed in my perusal of many different editions of Sleeping Beauty, that although this name is taken from the collection of tales by the Frenchman, Charles Perrault, the actual tale which we now more commonly associate with this title is taken from the Brothers Grimm. It is called Briar Rose in their collection, includes the prophetic frog at the beginning, and ends with the fateful kiss and resultant marriage. The Perrault version, sometimes also called The Princess of the Sleeping Wood, includes an entire second section, which takes place after the marriage, and involves the prince's ogreish mother. I have always found it fascinating that although it is the tale of Briar Rose we see so often reproduced, it is almost never called by that name. This version is clearly from the Grimm collection, and although Mahlon F. Craft acknowledges this by mentioning the name Briar Rose in his text, I would have liked to see something more official. Craft may have translated and reshaped the story, but it was written by the Brothers Grimm, and they are not mentioned at all, even on the title page. While I am sure that this is completely legal, as this tale has long been in the public domain, some acknowledgment of origin is in order, I believe... show less

The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful from a distance, and full of interesting and fantastic details upon closer examination. This book takes the classic story of the enchanted Princess Aurora, setting the tale in a romantic fantasy kingdom, with the artwork combining rennaisance, high baroque and modern artistic styles.In this tale it appears that the prince wants to rescue Aurora, which appears more selfless than in some other retellings: "The thought of a sleeping beauty such as show more Briar Rose lying unprotected in a thorny prison was more than his good and valiant nature could bear." show less