This book illustrates the Scandinavian version of Beauty and the Beast. It also is similar to the story about Psyche and Cupid.

Genre:Folktale
Age Appropriateness: Grade 3-7
Review: The illustrations are absolutely gorgous, the writing (translation is by Sir George Webbe Dasent) is quirky and reads well.This book can be considered as Scandinavian Beauty and the Beast. This story is about a bewitched prince and the determined lassie who loves him and overcome a serious of difficulties, finally win price's heart and live happily with the prince. The plot got on my nerves.I am in awe at how this fairy tale ended. It was beautiful and the message even better! It also show how this lassie grew by meeting this prince and striving for what she wanted most.
It meets the criteria of Folktale because the story is a body of popular myth——similar to Beauty and the Beast. The beliefs also relating to a particular place (Scandinavia), activity( palace and find the prince), or group of people (lassie's family, 3 hags, price, princess, stepmother. ( )

The story included so many elements that are common to fairy tales and the beautiful pictures by Lynch are fanciful and reminded me of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Dating back to 1910, this nordic tale was translated by Sir George Webbee Dasent. In this story, you will find likeness to Beauty and the Beast and also to Cupid and Psyche.

In the forest lives a poor couple with many children. The youngest daughter is by far the most beautiful. As the winds and the snow shake the cottage, bringing additional cold winds, at night a large white bear appears to the peasant and asks for his youngest daughter. In return, the peasant and his family will be very rich and want for nothing.

She is whisked off to a beautiful castle while her parents also live way beyond what they had ever imagined. In reality, the white bear is a man who lies beside the daughter at night. She never sees him.

She is very homesick and asks the bear to allow her to visit her family. Her wish is granted with the condition that she will never be alone with her mother who will attempt to mislead her daughter. When the mother tells the daughter to light a candle so that she may see what is sharing her bed at night, the daughter returns to the castle and follows her mother's instructions.

The daughter sees a most beautiful price, spilling three drops of melted wax on him. Upon his awakening, he explains that if she had only waited one full year, the curse placed upon him by the trolls would have been broken.

Now, all return to the original state of poverty and the handsome man must marry a very ugly troll who has a long crocked nose. Transported to the castle far, far away, located east of the sun and west of the moon, he must accept his fate.

Searching for her beloved handsome man, she must now journey far, far away to a destination near impossible to find. Soliciting help from old women she finds along the way, she is given gifts of a golden items -- an apple, a carding comb and a spinning wheel.

Taking these items with her, she must obtain help for the East Wind, the stronger West Wind and then the more powerful South and finally, the North Wind.

When she arrives and seeks access to the castle, the horrific troll princess refuses. Gradually, the daughter gives her items, one by one, to the troll princess. One night, the handsome man does not drink the poison sleeping potion given to him be the troll lady. And, discovering that the beautiful lady has sacrificed and steadily made the trek to find him, he tells her that the only thing that can save him from his fate of marriage to the troll lady, is that he will marry any one who can wash away the three drops of melted wax.

Alas, the troll princess is not successful, but the beautiful daughter is able to clean the shirt, thereby breaking the spell. And, stealing all goods and money from the castle, they impoverished family, the beautiful daughter and the handsome man escape from the castle that was located East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

This is a book I will purchase and add to my special library of illustrated books. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful, and the tale is magical.

This is a great example of fantasy because it's a different version of beauty and the beast, more of a Scandinavian version. There is also a great deal more magic that happens in this story, and more magical creatures than in the traditional beauty and the beast. I like this book because of the amazing detail in the art work. Media is acrylic