Sleeping Beauty

by Hannah Eliot, Netsanet Tesfay (illustrator)

The classic tale of “Sleeping Beauty” is reimagined to be set in Africa in this brightly illustrated board book from the Once Upon a World series.

When Princess Rebecca is born, an evil fairy places a curse on her. If she hasn’t found true love by the time she’s sixteen, she will fall into an everlasting sleep. Can the king and queen and the three good fairies figure out how to break the curse so Rebecca can live happily ever after? With gorgeous illustrations by Netsanet Tesfay, this fresh twist on the classic tale of “Sleeping Beauty” will enchant readers.

Once Upon a World offers a multicultural take on the fairy tales we all know and love. Because these tales are for everyone, everywhere.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Board Book

Published May 20, 2025

About the author

Hannah Eliot is a children’s book editor who lives in Manhattan, New York. Her favorite activities include editing (of course), writing, painting, and doodling all over every piece of notebook paper she uses.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written and illustrated retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. I loved that the ending had tears from her parents and others who loved her waking her up, showing a different kind of "true love" than the weird kiss of a stranger or near stranger that is often the ending to this story. Such a nice change!

[Lady Books Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta historia es un poco diferente a la que nos han contado toda la vida. El final es precioso y mucho más lógico (y no tan perturbador como el cuento original, claro está).

Es una forma súper bonita de adentrarse en el mundo de los clásicos de la literatura junto a los peques de la casa.

[Nell Of Frell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Princess named "Rebecca" definitely threw me and my niece off, but she loved that the Prince had the same name as her dad

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version of Sleeping Beauty is set in Ethiopia and I love the diversity from Once Upon a World books.

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the Ethiopian setting (with accurate wildlife!) and the ending.