Waking Beauty

December 17, 2007
The creators of Falling for Rapunzel
offer another creatively warped version of a familiar tale, again pairing chipper rhymed couplets with dynamic mixed-media art. In search of dragons to slay, Prince Charming believes he has found his prey when he hears a “dreadful sound” coming from a castle—but it is only the snoring of Sleeping Beauty. The three tiny fairies who surround her bed try their best to tell the prince how to wrench the maiden from her slumbers, but each time the rhyming fairies are about to pronounce the word “kiss,” he interrupts them with another futile stab at waking Beauty (he tries jumping on the bed, pouring water on her head and shooting her out of a cannon, after which he fishes her from the moat). Featuring textured, patterned fabrics and robust rosy hues, Monks's illustrations incorporate funny flourishes, among them spiders spinning webs and mice cavorting by Beauty's bedside. A surprise ending will leave readers thoroughly roused. Ages 3-up.