The Sleeping Beauty

by Mercer Mayer

The author/artist has embellished this folktale of the princess who sleeps under an evil spell for 100 years with some details of his own.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Romance

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[Hamed Manoochehri · Rating 5 out of 5]

دارک فنتزی رنگارنگ و چگونه انگشتان را ترسیم کنیم

آقای مِیِر، خالق بیش از سیصد کتاب کودک مصور، داستان زیبای خفته رُ وارد اساطیر کِلتیک کرده و این داستانِ بسیار آشنا رُ تبدیل به یه تجربه بدیع.
اینجا نقاشی های مِیِر پُر از موتیف های کلتیک هستن مثل:
*- گریفین
*- قلعه‌های سنگی
*-رُز که علاوه بر اینکه نماد ایرلند هست، به گفته ییتس نماد تداوم عشق هم هست. رز اما در پنلی که مِیر کشیده در حال پرپر شدنه.
*- گره های چوب تراشی ایرلندی که خودشون یه دنیایی هستن و در هر پنل داستان گره در خور استفاده شده که معنی خاص خودشو داره.
*- و صد البته خود گره. در کل داستان «گره» در هر پنلی دیده میشه. خواه در چوب تراشی، چه در موهای در هم تنیده شده، در شاخه‌های درختان و حتی در خزهای تزیینی شال پادشاه.

به علاوه مِیر از اغراق در آناتومی برای القای حس اضطراب و دلهره استفاده میکنه؛ اندام،صورت‌ها، بینی ها و انگشتان همگی بیش از حد کشیده، بلند و نازک ترسیم شدن. تاکید میر روی انگشتان در تک‌تک پنل‌ها به چشم میخوره. من عاشق اون پنلم که فِیریِ نیلی (blue faerie)در پیش‌زمینه یه غروب سرخگونِ خشمگین یه دستش چهار چوب دَرُ چنگ زده و دست دیگش درحال نفرینه.

پی نوشت:
اگه وقت داشتید، درباره چوب‌تراشی ایرلندی/کلتیک و معنی هر گره (knot) مطالعه کنید.‌عالیه!
سایت realirish یه مقاله کوتاه و جامع با عنوان Unseen Ties That Bind: Celtic Knots Meaning and History درباره‌شون منتشر کرده

[Tiuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this one was very interesting. It was much more about Sleeping Beauty’s parents and her prince than about her. I loved how the evil faerie’s son is the prince who loves Sleeping Beauty more than his own life. This one had quite a lot of costume issues, so I hadn’t expected the story to pull me in so much. It gets four stars for the retelling though! Very interesting plot twists.

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, that have a Celtic appearance that's rather unusual for illustrating a fairy tale that generally gets French or generic-Medieval looks. And, for once, Mayer has struck to the original Perrault without disagreeable surprise changes.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the most unique, take on sleeping Beauty, while still staying true to the story. And the illustrations are fantastic. Part of it makes me think at Stardust, while the other brings Disney to mind. But this is entirely it’s own lovely and spectacular work.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The changes and embellishments in this retelling make it a much richer, more compelling story.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version of the story has some interesting and different details. For one thing, the wicked fairy appears 3 times during the story, not just once. Some of the fairies have names, with the wicked fairy being the Blue Fairy, and the fairy who softens her curses being the Star Fairy. The first curse of the Blue Fairy is that the Queen would have no children until a silver owl comes to her. That eventually happens, and the Queen does give birth, but for some reason, the king is so jealous of the owl that he has it killed. The second curse, of course, is that Beauty would prick her finger and die. When Beauty is 17, she find the Blue Fairy, pricks her finger, and falls asleep. Instead of falling asleep immediately, the rest of the castle's inhabitants do not sleep until after a year has passed. Then the prince who comes to free Beauty from the curse turns out to be the son of the Blue Fairy. The illustrations are elegant and romantic.

[Wraith Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Sleeping Beauty illustrated by Mercer Mayer. I have loved his illustrations on versions of Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun and West of the Moon, as well as one of my favorite books from childhood, Everyone Knows What A Dragon Looks Like. I found it interesting that the illustrations have a Celtic look to them.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version had some new details to it, but, in my view, that only made this a more enjoyable story. This illustrations were so dramatic, though I was not to fond of the way the prince was drawn. A lovely adaptation.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayer goes for an expanded version of Sleeping Beauty, but it ended up feeling more like padding to force the story to be longer. Gorgeous illustrations, though.

[Syeda Taskeen]

Plz help mee how to open these books plz very deep request??

[Michaela The Dorky Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite copy of sleeping beauty so far. The illustrations are phenomenal.

[Skye Moshier-Chesnut · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book since I was a baby and I treasure it. Mercer Mayer's fairytale artwork has always been some of my favorite. I wish his other works, like this, were more well known.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable retelling of the classic tale, with unique details and a mixing of mortal and fairy worlds.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a picture book retelling of Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault.

The illustrations are complex and highly detailed as well as lush and romantic. Interwoven into the artwork are Celtic motifs.

The author puts his own spin on the story, making the prince who accomplishes the quest the son of the fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty among other additions. What I found most interesting was the introduction of the theme of forgiveness. Despite what was done to her and her family, Sleeping Beauty forgives.

This picture book is more text heavy then other picture book adaptations, and for that reason as well some more frightening illustrations, it is more suitable to older readers.

[Leslie Brevard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3rd-4th grades
Mayer uses lots of vivid bright colors which captures the reader’s attention. The illustrations help tell the story that Mayer is retelling and helps the reader with the differences that are in this story than maybe the other story that they have once heard. Mayer uses a fair amount of negative space on each of the pages that have text and even some that have the illustrations on them. There is a decent amount of text on each page, but I think that the words are big enough and spaced enough that it will allow the reader to follow with ease. I think that children can relate to this book by never giving up on something that they want. If you work hard enough then you can work for what you want. Just because the task seems to hard at some points doesn’t mean that they can never succeed with accomplishing that goal.
Language Arts/ Science
After reading the story I would allow time for everyone to discuss if they have heard a different version of this book and let them talk about how this version is different. I would want them to tell me also if they liked this version as much as the other or if they even liked this one more.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that there is no cover shown for this book because it is beautifully done (for a similiar style, look at the Beauty & The Beast cover on my list for an idea). The story is pretty much the standard Sleeping Beauty plot with minor tweaks but Mayer's artwork is mind-blowing. As a child, I hoarded this book every summer when I visited my grandparent's house in Sierra Vista, AZ from the local library. When the library upgraded to a new building in the late nineties, this title was nowhere to be found. I was literally heartbroken because it was out of print by then and I could not find it anywhere. I finally had Amazon do a search for it when I graduated from high school and it took them a year but they finally sent me my own copy. It is one of my most treasured possessions. I will never part with it but I may show it to you if you ask nicely! If you cannot buy/steal/barter your own copy, try your local library. This one really is a treat!

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautifully illustrated fairytale from Mercer Mayer. In this version, the artwork takes on Celtic themes, which I found to be an interesting and complementary style to the story. Most versions that I have seen of the Sleeping Beauty legend take place in an English or blandly non-national setting, but the Celtic motifs still work because the story itself doesn't seem to belong to one nationality or another. The characters are often nameless (as they are in this version), and even the supernatural beings are very general. I definitely wouldn't have thought to put this story in a Celtic setting, but Mayer's beautiful illustrations prove this to be a success!

[Alyssa (The Shady Glade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of my favorite versions of Sleeping Beauty ever. Author/Illustrator Mercer Mayer, of Little Critter fame, completely took me by surprise with this one. The illustrations are absolutely amazing, with a beautiful Celtic feel to them. But beyond that Mayer adds many of his own twists and turns to the story, making it one of the most unique retellings I've ever seen for this tale (at least in picture book form). Well done! Now I just need to find a copy for my keeper shelf...

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The original tale isn't my favourite by far, but Mayer fleshed this out so well, it makes me think twice about dismissing the snoozing princess. I loved how Mayer explained the evil fairy being slighted and how the prince was an actual person and character, not just a plot device. I also loved the world-building of the sleeping enchantment; it's not just snores and briars. That part gave the story an adventure aspect, which the original tale lacks. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, too, which is just a bonus.

[Tamra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best version of Sleeping Beauty EVER.

I checked this book out from the library years ago and LOVED it. The illustrations are intricate, stylized, and stunning (don't be duped by Little Critter. This man has immense talent!). And the story is the best telling of Sleeping Beauty that I've heard.

Unfortunately this book is out of print and hard to find. My father found it on-line and bought it for me (for an undisclosed price), and I consider it one of my greatest book treasures.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite books of all time. When I was young, I got very very sick. My mother bought me this book to read as I was getting better. I wanted to crawl into the illustrations in this book. I wanted to BE Beauty. I've never seen a more handsome Beast. This book made me want to grow up and be an artist.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty. We all really liked. I would have given it 5 stars but Mercer Mayer's drawings are kind of weird to me. But he sure can write! The other thing I enjoyed is that he pulled out some life lessons at the end of the book that the characters were able to learn(and us).

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a great deal more to Mercer Mayer's version of "Sleeping Beauty" than any other retelling I've encountered, but overall, I found the additions engaging and interesting. I also enjoyed the Saxon/Viking feel to the illustrations: the Viking era is one of my favorite time periods, and I loved imagining "Sleeping Beauty" taking place within that time period and culture.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my very favorite picture book versions of "Sleeping Beauty." I was captivated by it as a child. I love the added element of the prince being the evil fairy's son, it makes the story so much more cyclical and profound. The image of the evil fairy standing in the doorway before a blood red moon has stayed with me since childhood.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this on Reading Rainbow today, and it made me remember how this was one of my favorite books as a child. The illustrations are beautiful, and Mercer Mayer has changed the story to make it much more exciting.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all-time favorite fairy tale. I checked this one out so much that I literally wore out a copy from the library. I have longed for a reissue to no avail. This is a perfect re-telling.

12/29/24 - edited to add I found an autographed copy!

[Kittiya]

I've wanted to see this book ever since I had received: East of the sun, west of the moon. I love the art work done in these

[thestorygirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting illustrations, and an interesting, mythical retelling. My copy is tattered from its many re-readings.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love the Illustrations in this book.

[Ever · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute treasure for the illustrations alone.