The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Rachel Isadora
| The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Rachel Isadora | |
|
| |
| Category: For Sharing | |
| |
Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
 | |
| Summary: An interesting take on a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. I wasn't familiar with the original tale, and found it somewhat lacking, but Rachel Isadora's beautiful African-inspired illustrations are as wonderful as ever. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: November 2009 |
| Publisher: Puffin | |
| ISBN: 978-0142414507 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Bookbag recently loved Rachel Isadora's take on The Night Before Christmas, which put the classic Christmas poem in an African setting. This time round, she has turned her eye to the Grimms' The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
It's not a fairy tale I was familiar with, and nor is is it one that immediately clicked with me. The story involves a succession of princes looking to marry one of twelve princesses, and the king setting them the task of seeing what the princesses get up to at night. It feels somewhat scant, as there aren't any great trials to overcome. The prince doesn't drink the drugged wine from the princesses, feigns sleep, then follows them. It's hardly hacking through a forest of brambles, then climbing up someone's hair without ripping off their scalp.
But fairy tales are timeless, and it's not without its charm. It may be light on plot, but Rachel Isadora's beautiful illustrations provide plenty of scope to expand on the story as you read it. She has a wonderful style all of her own, mixing elements of collage and African art. Her books are a joy to pore over and are very different from the standard picture book fare.
She gives classic tales a fresh twist, rather than changing them for the sake of change. Although The Twelve Dancing Princesses didn't do an awful lot for me, I can't wait to see what she produces next. There are better books (and better fairy tales) out there, but if your young 'uns are devouring all the fairy tales they can, it's well worth a look.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
For other fairy tales, check out Snow White by Jane Ray (a pop-up book), Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and Sara Fanelli (discover just what's in the original) and The Princess Who Had No Kingdom by Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb (a new fairy tale that sits wonderfully alongside the classics).
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Rachel Isadora at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Template:Waterstonestext
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
