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    The Twelve Dancing Princesses
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    The Twelve Dancing Princesses
    Unavailable
    The Twelve Dancing Princesses
    Ebook32 pages7 minutes

    The Twelve Dancing Princesses

    By Chronicle Books Digital

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The talented Brigette Barrager lavishly illustrates this beautiful retelling of the Grimm Brothers' "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." In this fairy tale, twelve princesses wake up every morning to find their shoes are worn out and they are totally exhausted! A handsome suitor discovers that the princesses are enchanted, and that each night, in their sleep, they travel to a magical world to dance at a ball. Will this handsome suitor be able to break the spell and rescue the princesses?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChronicle Books Digital
    Release dateMay 27, 2011
    ISBN9781452105802
    Unavailable
    The Twelve Dancing Princesses

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    Reviews for The Twelve Dancing Princesses

    4.5/5

    76 ratings14 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Surprisingly, I loved reading The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson for a few reasons. One, I thought the illustrations were the highlight of this story. Each oil painting had such rich, muted colors with intricate details. I think that the illustrations successfully recreate the 15th century time period. Each princess has an elaborate hairstyle, with delicate yet beautiful dresses. I also think that the writing flows, and is well organized. For instance it says, “ Finally the princesses crossed a third wood, where the leaves flittered with diamonds that sparked in the night.” In my opinion, the writing is smooth and elegant to represent that time period. The lesson of this story is about dreams and determination and how that can produce the outcome you want. I think that this is important for children to know that with hard work and determination they can achieve anything.
    • 5/5
      This picture book contains a re-telling of a Grimm brothers’ tale of 12 beautiful princesses who are locked in their room each night, but their shoes are inexplicably worn out each morning. The king declares that whoever can solve the mystery will win the hand of one of the princesses. While many princes come to solve the mystery, it is of no avail. Then along comes Michael, the gardener’s assistant, who figures out the mystery with the help of a magic cloak. I’m not usually a huge fan of fairy tales because I find them silly (and not in a good way), and this story is no exception. However, I did love this book as a child, and I think it was the element of enchantment about it that I enjoyed. Also, the illustrations are absolutely striking – Sanderson’s oil paintings are finely detailed, brightly colored, elegant depictions of the lavish scenes described in the story.
    • 3/5
      The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a beautifully illustrated story retold from the Brothers Grimm. The oil painted pictures are detailed, including light reflected off the princess’ gorgeous 15th century costumes (dresses, shoes, headpieces, petticoats, etc.). This German folktale is full of magic, complete with an enchanted castle, a love story, and a hero who breaks the spell of the frozen hearts. The princesses secretly dance all night long in an enchanted castle, wearing out their shoes. Each morning the king finds the worn shoes and inquires the reason for this, only to find no answer. The king offers a reward, the pick of one of the 12 for a wife, to any man able to discover the cause of the worn shoes. Many try unsuccessfully to figure out the princesses’ secret, and are given a drink by the eldest princesses causing their hearts to freeze and only love dancing. Then a man named Michael comes to work at the palace as a gardener, aided by the magic of an old woman and an invisible cloak, and is able to solve the mystery. In the process, Michael falls in love with Lina, the youngest princess, and she with him. Her sisters tease her that she will be a gardener’s wife. Once Lina confesses to the oldest sister that Michael has learned the secret, the princesses decide to keep Michael from telling their secret by throwing him in the dungeon and plan to give him the same drink as the men who tried to discover their secret. Just before the Michael is to drink the enchanted mixture, Lina stops him declaring her love for him. In the end, the spell is broken, the enchanted palace crumbles, and the king makes Michael the heir to his kingdom.
    • 4/5
      This book's genre is fairytale. It tells the story of twelve princesses who every night, have new worn-out shoes, and their father, the king, doesn't know why. He declared that whoever discovered their secret could choose one of them as a wife. A poor boy was determined to find their secret, and followed them one night concealed by a magic cloak. They went to an enchanted land and a castle, where they danced all night with all the previous suitors, who were now under an enchantment. By and by, the boy, Michael revealed his secret to the youngest princess, and brought all the princesses and the princes back to the castle, destroying the magical land. The king allowed Michael to pick a wife, and he picked the youngest daughter, Lina.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful illustrations in this retelling of a favorite fairy tale.
    • 4/5
      “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” is an old tale, so old that it exists in multiple versions. Most famous is the account published by the Brothers Grimm, but there is also an interesting French variant popularized by Andrew Lang in his Red Fairy Book. In the past few decades it has appeared in novel form (as in Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing among others), in various short stories (happily for me, both Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip have written versions), and even a Barbie movie! It should not be surprising that what with the innumerable princesses, dresses, and multi-colored woods, it has inspired a number of picture books as well. Of this last category, I am certain this rendition, with text by Mariana Meyer and illustrations by Kinuko Y. Craft, is the very best.Of course, Craft’s artwork is the real reason to get this. Though she is a prolific artist, providing the covers for many a fantasy novel as well as contributing to several picture books, I think that she has rarely done better work than she does here. The portrait of Princess Elise belongs in an art gallery, and Craft’s interpretation of the famous golden wood episode is unusually light and ethereal.Meyer’s work should not be underestimated either. Rarely diverging from Lang, she somehow manages to brighten and humanize his already complex portraits of the characters (complex, that is, in comparison to Grimm). I love the final exchange she adds for Peter and Princess Elise: she says that they will never be able to return to the twilight kingdom, he asks if she is sad, and she says that she is not, because “now we have each other, and I have grown to love you more than anything else.”
    • 2/5
      Very pretty pictures. Kind of weird story, but overall cute with a happy ending (OF COURSE).
    • 4/5
      This charming tale has it all - princesses, a secret place, mysterious nighttime rendezvous - all beautifully illustrated. This is a dreamy story that will likely appeal to little girls. Be careful purchasing it for them though, you may find yourself reading it over and over and over.
    • 3/5
      I didn't care for the story, but the illustrations are beautiful. I appreciate the fact that the young princess had dark hair and amber eyes (it was a nice change).
    • 4/5
      I have never really enjoyed the Brothers Grimm's tale about twelve dancing princesses and their tattered slippers (die zertanzten Schuhe, The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes). There really is not all that much "magic" in the tale, and the princesses only admit their nocturnal escapades because they realise that their secret has finally been discovered. Furthermore, the fact that in the original tale, the suitors who are unable to discover the secret of the dancing shoes are executed by the king (and that this known fact does not seem to matter to the twelve princesses, who proceed to callously drug the wine of their hapless suitors), also somewhat bothers me. I know that there is violence and the threat of the same in many fairy tales (and that the actual executions are ordered by the king, not his daughters), but the attitude of the twelve dancing princesses towards the doomed princes seems quite cold and calculating, a testament to their own vanity and desire for pleasure. On the other hand, I am also aware of the fact that the king has chosen to lock his daughters in their bedchamber at night and am angered by the fact that he would even consider doing such a thing. Maybe the king's original act of absolute parental control could or should be considered as the actual impetus to the princesses' actions, a form of rebellion against parental (patriarchal) authority. However, that still cannot make me accept the fact that the princesses knowingly send potential suitors to their likely doom, simply in order to safeguard their secret dancing.With that in mind, I actually prefer Marianna Mayer's adaptation of the Grimms' tale, although I do believe that it is a bit text-heavy and more suitable for older children (I could imagine younger children perhaps becoming a bit distracted and losing interest or focus). I think that Mayer has managed to successfully keep the spirit of the original tale, while removing some of its less palatable aspects. There is, fortunately, no longer mention of possible executions, and while the princesses are still rather vain and seemingly bent on pursuing their dancing escapades, they are, in fact, also bewitched and enchanted, no longer simply the calculating, seemingly heartless pleasure seekers of the original tale. When Elise stops Peter from drinking the potion (as told in Marianna Mayer's adaptation), she not only saves him, but also breaks the spell cast upon the princesses themselves (in the Grimms' tale, the princesses are never enchanted or under a spell, they just do not want to give up their secret).I honestly do not think that I can adequately describe Kinuko Y. Craft's wonderful illustrations. They are evocative, luminous, absorbingly detailed, a perfect complement and addition to Mayer's engaging and flowing narrative. Even children who do not read yet would surely take pleasure poring over the evocative illustrations, which tell the story of the twelve dancing princesses almost as well as the text itself.This book really does deserve four stars, and if this tale had been a completely original fairy tale, I would have had no qualms whatsoever rating it with four stars (perhaps even five stars, although I do think that the narrative is a bit too long and involved). However, The Twelve Dancing Princesses is clearly an adaptation, a retelling of the original Brothers Grimm tale, and I simply cannot accept the fact that Marianna Mayer has not provided an author's note, or even a short blurb acknowledging her sources. It is not only somewhat academically suspect for her not to have made note of the Grimms' original tale (and even a very short note would have sufficed), it is also somewhat disrespectful of the Brothers Grimm and their legacy.
    • 4/5
      The classic fairy-tale of the twelve dancing princesses, their worn-out slippers, and the young boy who solves the mystery of their night-time activities and frees them from their enchantment, is here presented in an exquisitely-illustrated picture book. I am a huge fan of Kinuko Craft's work, and this title does not disappoint. With her jewel-like palate and her attention to detail, Craft creates an absorbing visual narrative that perfectly complements the romance of the tale. The painting of the twelve sisters conferring, with Elise in the center, is perhaps the finest in the book.I have always loved fairy-tales, but although I spent hours poring over these stories as a child, this lovely tale somehow failed to make a lasting impression upon me. I couldn't say for sure, but it almost seems as if it has become more popular in the last decade or so. There have been many recent picture-book adaptations, with illustrations by artists such as Ruth Sanderson, Jane Ray, Dorothee Duntze, and the brilliant Laszlo Gal, but this is by far my favorite. The narrative by Marianna Mayer is a fairly smooth adaptation of the original tale from the Brothers Grimm (The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces), in which the prince is replaced by a humble but loving gardener. I did find myself wishing, as I so often do, that some mention of the tale's origin had been made.
    • 4/5
      This children's book is a retelling of the classic tale. A king has twelve daughters who wear out their slippers every night while locked in their bedroom. To solve this mystery, he promises that anyone who can solve it can marry one of his daughters. Peter, a shepherd, hides in their room only to see that they have a hidden passage that takes them to a magical realm where they dance the night away. In time, he falls in love with one of the princesses and she falls in love with him.The charm of this book is the glorious illustrations by Kinuko Craft. These paintings glow with rich colors, looking like masterpieces from the Renaissance period. The details of the paintings match the written passages, indicating that the author and illustrator worked closely to produce this book.This book will be appreciated by all ages of readers. Young children will enjoy hearing the story. Older readers will enjoy the antique flavor of the entire presentation, from the writing style, the fonts used, and the illustrations. Even adults will enjoy the beauty of this book. The message of the story is encouraging to adolescents who are becoming interested in romance.
    • 3/5
      The Twelve Dancing Princesses is an adaptation of a Grimm's Fairy Tale where Peter, a young farmer, is given a task by the King to discover why his daughters' slippers are worn away nightly however they refuse to marry any of the suitors who come before them. If Peter can unravel the mystery of why they have become so cold and distant, he will be allowed to marry one of the maidens. After Peter assembles flower bouquets for the princesses, it is discovered that they emerge from their chamber in the evenings to attend lavish banquets and dance until dawn. Peter frequents one of the dances, and the youngest princess Elise becomes infatuated by him as he is the best suitor she has known. Peter is about to consume a special drink that would cause him to become as pale and sickly as they are when Elise prevents him, thus breaking the bewitching spell with this act of kindness and love and leading to their marriage. There is no mention or citation of the original source for the folktale. The plot is complicated and confusing at times. The flowery language is not in keeping with the oral tradition. The idea of loving conquering all is evident. The illustrations are the best part of this retelling. The elegant borders and detailed illustrations beg for repeated viewings. The story is probably too long for a read aloud and may be too confusing for most young children. I would recommend this folktale to students in grades 3-6.
    • 5/5
      The cover image above doesn't even begin to do it justice....really! With every turn of the page the tale unfolds with a picture even more beautiful than the last. You'll be charmed by the young princesses as they indulge in their unknown nightly festivities with zest and vigor whilst during the day, they drag their feet too tired to even show any effort. You'll swoon as the young royal shoemaker explores the reasons behind the young ladies sudden shoe abuse and reveals such a courageous and noble heart...even the king makes recognition. You'll be amazed at the underground world the ladies swirl and twirl through,unseen by their sleeping eyes. For those who've never read the original story to those who are conesseurs of the fairytale world, this is one edition I'd certainly recommend adding to your collection. Young readers will not doubt enjoy the story as they pick their favorite princess to follow throughout (mine would be Poppy and Bluebell as I adore their dress colors!), while older readers will marvel at the extensive color pallette explored in this rendition; a true masterpiece through and through. *review copy received in exchange for my honest review