Sleeping Beauty (Fairy Tale Shape Books)

When a fairy is left out of the party, she grows angry and places a curse on the castle. Everyone falls under a sleeping spell until a prince comes to save the day. Of course it has the traditional true love spin to it.

SLEEPING BEAUTY takes the traditional classic fairytale and revamps it with an all new look. The overall shape is a castle but each page is shaped into its own setting. The writing is simple with few details since there are only a few pages to it. The illustrations are cute and remind me of paper art mixed with clipart. It's a short and sweet read so will make a cute bedtime story since it reads more like a summary of the familiar tale.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to younger children who like to read stories about fairytales and princesses. The layout engages children with each turn of the page and the board book format is perfect for younger readers. The binding does feel a bit thin so it's best to keep an eye on them while they look through it. Rougher children may tear it.

SLEEPING BEAUTY is a shaped board book of the classic fairytale. The story is told through brief sentences on each page, building the shape of a castle. Sleeping Beauty is born and all the fairies are invited except one. That one is upset and curses her. When she is older, she finds the spinning wheel and goes to sleep after pricking her finger. A prince comes and kisses her, waking her. They all live happily ever after.

What I loved: This is a simple book that is great for kids who like to play with their books. The illustrations are simple and cute, and the story does turn pages quickly with a much simplified version of the tale. There is plenty of color throughout and the story unfolds as per the usual line.

What left me wanting more: While the pages were thick, the binding was very thin, which means rough readers will rip this apart easily. In addition, some of the pointy edges felt a bit too pokey for some little ones. The story was maybe a bit too simplified, as it does not explain anything and caregivers may need to fill in the story with some context - and it does not add anything to the traditional story or make it new in any way. The writing was also very small, which could be challenging to read.

Final verdict: Overall, SLEEPING BEAUTY is a simple board book that tells the basic fairy tale with a cool shaped book and colorful images.