Leaping Beauty : And Other Animal Fairy Tales

Rating:
Summary: Cever, entertaining retellings of well-known fairy tales
Review: Although Gregory Maguire has been writing children's books for years, he is probably best known for his recent adult retellings of The Wizard of Oz (WICKED), Cinderella (CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER), and Snow White (MIRROR MIRROR). Now, with LEAPING BEAUTY, Maguire turns his considerable creative retelling talents back to a younger audience, with a collection of eight fractured fairy tales featuring animals in the lead roles.

The title story (which opens the book) is actually one of the weakest of the bunch, as Maguire chooses a fairly straightforward approach to tell of the young frog princess who is transformed from Weeping Beauty to Sleeping Beauty to Leaping Beauty. More entertaining are the later stories, such as "Hamster and Gerbil," a pair of adopted siblings who happen upon a cottage made of pet food and its owner, a nefarious porcupine who is also a gourmet cook.

It seems that Maguire had a great deal of fun coming up with the names of stories and characters. There's Little Red Robin Hood, who wanted "to rob the rich birds of the forest and give their worms to the poor birds of the forest." And there's the heroine of "Rumplesnakeskin," a lovely blonde sheep named Norma Jean, who wears tight sweaters and desperately wants to break into the movies.

Some of this might go over young readers' heads, but they'll still enjoy Maguire's clever plot twists and his sometimes snarky humor. LEAPING BEAUTY is a great next step for kids who have grown out of THE STINKY CHEESE MAN but who are not yet ready for the more sophisticated fairy tale retellings of Robin McKinley or Donna Jo Napoli.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Rating:
Summary: Fractured Fearless Fairy Tales
Review: Gregory Maguire, author of such fairy tale revisionist histories as Wicked and Mirror, Mirror, serves up the traditional glass slipper, pumpkin coach and gingerbread house with a generous helping of irreverence and irony. The humor relies heavily on modern satire, which many adults will enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun!
Review: I really enjoyed this latest offering from Gregory Maguire. Having loved two of his adult novels, Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, I thought I'd give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed! These stories should appeal to both children and adults, although some of the jokes might go over a younger child's head. I think this book would work really well as a read-aloud, too. My favorite story was Cinder-Elephant. The whimsical line drawings really added to the fun of the book. I heartily recommend this book to everyone!