Warwick Hutton (1939–1994)

English illustrator and author Warwick Hutton - whose work I have encountered before, in Susan Cooper's The Silver Cow: A Welsh Tale and The Selkie Girl - here turns his hand to both illustration and authorship, presenting an adaptation of the classic French fairy-tale, Beauty and the Beast. A fairly straightforward version of the story, textually speaking - the merchant with three daughters, the fateful journey in which Beauty's father encounters the Beast, Beauty's self-sacrifice, and the show more gradual process whereby she comes to care for the Beast, are all covered - is paired with Hutton's distinctive watercolor illustrations, producing an engaging picture-book retelling.

I cannot say, in all honesty, that Hutton's artwork appeals to me greatly - I tend to find it more interesting than beautiful - but I was much struck by a few images here, such as the one in which the merchant discovers the Beast's palace, seen at a distance, down a long lane of windswept trees. Fans of the artist, by contrast, will probably find many pleasing vistas in this particular Beauty and the Beast, and it is to them, and to readers interested in comparing different adaptations of the tale, that I recommend it. show less

The story itself was decently written, and suitable for the age level, and was a fairly faithful retelling of the Hades/Persephone myth (though a couple of points were missing) and makes for a good children's book, but I absolutely hated the illustrations. A few of them were okay, but overall they were very simplistic, and didn't feel as if much effort went into them. A different illustrator would have suited this story considerably better.

This book is a Greek myth about Perseus who is brave and determined. The myth is simplified, so it can be more easily understood by young readers. With the help of the goddess Athene and god Hermes, he saves his mother from cruel and selfish King Polydectes. The luminous watercolor paintings help tell the story. This would be a good book to introduce elementary school children to Greek mythology.

I liked this book mainly because of the way how the story was told. The story was told much differently than what I have read before or observed. The language is different, and I think that is a great thing, because it will allow students to truly read the story of the beauty and the beast, and not focus on the Disney movie. Specifically, I did not know personally that beauty had two sisters, and that her father was staying in the castle. It is amazing how literature can go off in so many show more different tangents, and still be relevant to our lives. The language, imagery, and form were fantastic. Fairytales like this truly make students compare and contrast differences of what they believe is true, and what they observe to be "true." show less