The Mayers present a stunning edition of Beauty and the Beast in this picture book. Marianna's story is simply and beautifully told, and Mercer's illustrations are stunning, full of detail, and create the perfect mood for this classic fairy tale. I highly recommend this book.

A thousand words cannot begin to describe this book. Marianna Mayer took a story that all readers would be familiar with and without drastically changing it, gave us a breath of fresh air from our childhood. Her prose is outstanding but the true standout is the way she portrays emotion. In too many fairy tales, the characters are cool and aloof and the only human emotion portrayed is love. In this "Beauty and the Beast," the lucky reader can see the depth of Beauty and the Beast's despair and hope. As for the illustrations, they are breathtaking! Mercer Mayer's fairy tale work is incredible and full of detail. Beauty's rooms are rich and colorful. Beauty is gorgeous and the Beast is a tad scary. Unusual details include the Egyptian motifs scattered thourghout the castle, especially the sphinx off in a distant room. I highly recommend this book, no matter what your age. This book has an heirloom quality to it and the story is as beautiful and as timeless as the mountains outside Beauty's window.

The story is beautiful yet familiar. The drawings are heartachingly exquisite. Even the pictures in my mind's eye aren't as sumptuous as the illustrations in this book. Mercer Mayer outdid himself. Each time I read this book I discover something new in each painting. I am shocked that it did not receive a Caldicott. Mayer's fairytales have a distressing habit of going out of print- buy this one while you still can. I plan to pass my copy down through generations.

My eight year old daughter absolutely loves this book!
Nuff said!!

a great, heart-warming story about an undog...this time a hippo...who makes good. Hilarious and delicious. If you love good pastry, you'll love this delicious dessert for the heart and mind.

Marcel the Pastry Chef is a fabulous find for children, or just children at heart. This book is mouth-wateringly delightful to read aloud or to yourself. The words are phrased in a poeticially beautiful story of a talented hippo, who is a cook. I would deffinately recommend this cozy and fun book.

If I could only explain just how this book has inspired me. I was givin this book from my parents in the early 70's and somehow till this day has been a part of me and Im 35 now! I love how the boys discovery leads to a creation and how his dreams inspire his desire to perfect his project. Win races, rescue people, deliver mail, give birds a place to rest when flying. When he decides it is just right, he finally tries to get it out of the barn just to have it fall to pieces! Even after his terrible failure he still isnt willing give up trying to create..."tomarrow Ill build a rowboat" Terrific.

I remember reading this book over and over as a small child. I read it so many times that I wore out the binder on the book. It's a story of a small boy and how he builds a flying machine out of scrapes and paints it with all the colors he can find in the family shed and takes off on an adventure around the world. I would love to find this book and keep it around for future generations to read, not only this story but all the other wonderful stories written by Marianna Mayer. Thank you.....C.M.....

Even though this book is a children's story, Mayer's style is very mature and elegant, and well complemented by Katie Thamer's incredible artwork. The story is about a man who leaves home with nothing in the world but an old nag, and goes off to find his fortune. He soon trades the nag to another traveller who seeks a tamer horse, in exchange for a spirited black stallion. The young man soon discovers that the black horse can talk, and is magical, and together they partake of a grand adventure to rescue a maiden from the evil king of the sea, by performing impossible tasks at the king's demand. Mayer's writing style is gripping and emotional, something not often seen in children's books, and the ending of the story wrenches the heart. This book has always been one of my favorites, and I recommend it to any lover of good storytelling. My only regret is that it is out of print and hard to find!

When I was a small child (three or four?) a family friend gave me a set of small books containing A boy, a Dog, a Frog, and a Friend. I was mesmerized by Mercer Mayer's classic pictures. While I liked having an adult share it with me, this was a book I most enjoyed looking at on my own. I cherished the set but over the years I lost all but one of the tiny books. I was delighted to find this small copy. A wonderful book for young imaginative children.

This is the most beautiful little storybook! The illustrations are so darling and the stories are written in a style that makes them fun to read, without changing the stories--they are the same stories we've all heard (and told) a hundred times. But with this delightful book, you don't weary of reading them again and again. The book is large so the child can see with you, but not thick and heavy. I have had this book in my home since 1983 and it has finally fallen to pieces. I can't tell you how happy I am to find it! And did I mention that the illustrations are really lovely!

I love this book! While all of Mercer Mayer's wordless frog books are delightful, this is definitely my favorite. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words in this case. From beginning to end every characters' thoughts and emotions are perfectly clear. The illustrations are delightful and the characters' body language and facial expressions are wonderfully expressive. Even very young children can look at this book and understand what is going on.

As usual, any book illustrated by K.Y. Craft is wonderful to look at, and will surely enchant anyone with a "penchant for princesses." Almost worth the price of admission by itself.

The story has a lot to recommend it also. The classic plot has been nicely modified to give some depth of character and intelligence to the clever young suitor and to the object of his interest, the youngest of the twelve bewitched princesses. (For those unfamiliar with the story, the king's daughter have been put under a spell which send them to a secret realm every night where they dance the night away; the young hero discovers the secret and breaks the spell.)

My 4-year-old daughter enjoys the story very much, but there are elements to the story that she is probably not catching on to, and which older kids will enjoy. A good read-aloud for young kids, and a nice stretch for early readers, I should think. (Not beginning readers, though. The vocabulary is rich rather than constrained.)

Richly written and illustrated, this book doesn't disappoint. So many fairy tale books go only half-way--either they have great pictures or a well-written story. This is not one of those. Marianna Mayer tells the story with lovely detail and a highly enjoyable style. And the artwork--well, look at the cover! The artwork is amazing! The portrait of Princess Elise almost jumps off the page (or invites you into it, whichever you prefer). And don't overlook the sidebar illustrations on each text page--they add a deeper dimension to the story by giving the reader a glimpse of the magical setting. This book is truly enchanting.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a wonderful, magical story in it's own right. Marianna Mayer has woven this tale with sumptuos words that make this book delightful to read out loud. The drawings are so lovely, detailed, and beautifully drawn that both my daughter and I have spent hours looking at the pictures! This is an important book for its beauty and its ability to activate your imagination.

BY&VtB is a Russian Cinderella-tale of sorts featuring Vasilisa, whose only companion is a talking doll made by her mother. Sent by her wicked stepmother to the hut of Baba Yaga for a light, Vasilisa escapes only by completing vast quantities of houswork. My main problem with this story is that Vasilisa doesn't actually do any of the work--the doll does--leaving Vasilisa only to cook dinner for her (very scary) captor. Why does this earn Vasilisa the epithet "the brave"? A better name for her would be "Vasilisa the Complacent" since she never actually takes control of the situation or shows any will of her own. From the moment her father dies to the time her wicked stepmother is destroyed, she bends to the will of any imposing figure that commands her if for no other reason than she can't think of an alternative (see page 2 of the story)! Don't let the title fool you... Vasilisa is not an example of a strong, clever heroine like you'd expect!

On a more positive note, the illustrations are wonderful. Richly ornamented, finely detailed paintings occupy every other page. The text is decorated by orientalized landscapes and persianesque illuminations. Oh, and the paintings of Baba Yaga are terrifying! I spent a long time absorbed in the artwork of this book. It truly is enchanting!

Bottom line: Don't look to this story for a strong female protagonist. Enjoy it rather for its fine illustrations--they will be reward enough.

I had a trompe-l'oil mural done in my breakfast nook, in my Spanish bungalow. The idea was that one eating at my breakfast table would be sitting outside in a garden setting. I checked out various books from our public library and this is how I discovered the illustrator K. Y. Craft. My mural is now Craft-inspired and marvelous. I had to order this book in particular because of the marvelous Russian-inspired pictures. K. Y. Craft puts such amazing detail into everything she does, whether its the border around the page or the picture itself. You could literally design a child's room by framing these pictures. The story itself is a mix of Cinderella and Hansel & Gretel, with the prince being a Tsar at the end.

This retelling of a Russian "fairytale" combines a bit of wisdom, beauty and a tiny bit of suspense. It is my daughter's favorite, and she insists upon hearing it nightly, and I never refuse to, no matter how oft I read it.