Fiction - Short Story Anthologies, Fairy Tales & Folklore - General & Miscellaneous, Fairy Tales & Folklore - Regional

Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales

Name: Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales
Author: Gregory Maguire
ISBN: 9780060564193

by Gregory Maguire, Chris L. Demarest

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Overview

Once upon a time . . . nothing was as it seemed!

What if Sleeping Beauty were actually a frog princess, doomed to be Weeping Beauty forever? What if the Three Chickens had to outwit Goldifox? What if Cinder-Elephant lost her glass plate slipper? Then you'd have this hilarious collection of twisted fairy tales from the master of the absurd, Gregory Maguire!

Synopsis

Who better to wreak havoc with eight beloved fairytales than Gregory Maguire, the brilliantly funny author of the adult novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, as well as of the hilarious middle–grade series, The Hamlet Chronicles.

Zany animals of all species run through these fractured tales with alarming speed and dexterity. Who would have thought that Sleeping Beauty, that most regal of all fairy– tales, could be twisted into the story of a frog with a most unusual and promising dance career? Get ready to meet a gorilla queen and a psycho chimp, seven giant giraffes; and one very bad walrus.

Publishers Weekly

These eight retellings with such animals as "Cinder-Elephant" and "Goldiefox and the Three Chickens" in the starring roles make "a good choice for those whose tastes run to silly and sillier," according to PW. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Gregory Maguire

Spinning fantastical tales for adults and children alike -- from the hit kids' series The Hamlet Chronicles to the decidedly more grown-up adventures played out in Wicked and Mirror, Mirror, Gregory Maguire has cast a potent literary spell on readers of all ages.

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Editorials

ALA Booklist

" … a delightful collection, sure to be popular with sophsticated readers."

New York Times Book Review

"Here are amusing retellings of eight familiar fairy tales with the characters as animals, … "

Publishers Weekly

VOYA

What would happen if the brothers Grimm had substituted animals for the main characters in their stories? Maguire takes this idea and successfully alters eight well-known fairy tales to feature animal protagonists. Sleeping Beauty is now a frog, Cinderella is a large elephant, and Snow White is an athletic gorilla. Maguire maintains the integrity of each story, but he adds a modern twist by using young adult slang and imaginative words thrown into the dialogue. Demarest's illustrations add to the humor in the stories. Maguire frequently uses fairy tales as the basis of his books, including Wicked (HarperCollins, 1995/VOYA April 1996), Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999), and the more recent Mirror Mirror (2003), but he twists and turns the stories to fit his ideas. Young adult readers, who enjoy fairy tales but are not familiar with his other books, might want to give this one a try. It gives a taste of what to expect in his other titles and is a good, light read that can be finished in one sitting. Both public and school libraries will want to add it to their collections. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, HarperCollins, 197p., and PLB Ages 11 to 18.
—Jonatha Masters

Children's Literature - Leslie Rounds

Fractured fairy tales are always fun when well told and imaginative, and this collection fits both those criteria. In eight familiar-but-not tales, cute little tadpole, Beauty, is placed under a terrible spell by a nasty hornet, becoming Weeping, Sleeping, and finally Leaping Beauty. Goldiefox, an out-of-work carpenter, goes to live with the chicken family, helping them open "The Three Chickens Furniture Store and Oatmeal Restaurant." Hamster and Gerbil are taken in by Granny Porky, with one of the villains eventually carried off on a hamster wheel. So What, a youthful baboon, goes to live with the seven giraffes. Little Red Robin Hood (called that because he was a little red robin who liked to pretend he was a superhero) has it out with the big, bad…cat; the three little penguins deal with creative home-building; Cinder-Elephant goes to the ball, balanced delicately on two glass pie plates; and Rumplesnakeskin has to deal with a beautiful sheep, formerly known as Norma Jean. Readers will understand most of the often very silly humor of these tales. Some of it, however, is clearly aimed at adults who may be reading to those children. How many children would associate the name Norma Jean with beauty? Demarest's line drawings, two or three per tale, enhance the fun. This book will be a fine addition to libraries serving upper elementary and junior high school readers.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Eight well-known fairy tales are recast, with the aid of animal characters and outrageous puns (with some tongue-in-cheek witticisms thrown in), into such stories as "Little Red Robin Hood" and "Cinderelephant." In one of the most entertaining stories, "Rumplesnakeskin," a gorgeous and tough-talking sheep named Norma Jean changes her name to Beauty and ends up being forced to spin straw into gold to finance the king's latest failing movie venture. Demarest's madcap illustrations add energy and fun to a somewhat uneven collection. While kids will laugh out loud at the irrepressible youngest sibling in "The Three Little Penguins and the Big Bad Walrus," some of the selections, including "Leaping Beauty," seem labored and uninspired. However, fans of Dav Pilkey and Jon Scieszka will appreciate the zany situations and the joyful fracturing of traditional tales.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.