A long time ago, in a faraway land, lived a widowed merchant with three daughters. The youngest was so lovely that everyone who saw her wondered at her beauty. Her name was Belle and she was as good and kind as she was beautiful.
Continuing their series of retold fairy tales from around the world, Christmas Press has combined the talents of author Adele Garas and illustrator Fiona McDonald Two Fearsome Fairy Tales from France. While the two tales – ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Bluebeard’ may be familiar to many readers, these are not saccharine versions but more traditional tellings of the tales. The illustrations, too, have a traditional feel to them, with a blend of full colour pates, ornate borders, smaller coloured illustrations and some grey scale.
This hard cover offering will appeal to fairy tale lovers and older readers.
Two Fearsome Fairy Tales from France, retold by Adele Geras, illustrated by Fiona McDonald
Available from good bookstores and online.