January 19, 2011

Thursday Thirteen (13)

Disney has announced that they are done making princess movies. They have decided that the musical, fairy tale has run its course, and they say "They may come back later because someone has a fresh take on it … but we don't have any other musicals or fairy tales lined up."  Boo!  My daughters have loved the princess movies and own every possible princess item that money can buy- books, movies, clothes, coloring books, blankets...  So today, I give you the 13 princess books that were turned into movies by Disney.  If you are a fan of these movies, be sure to read the books! 
Snow White, Nancy Ekholm Burkert, 1987.  
398.2GRI
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of us all?" repeatedly asks the Queen, Snow White's stepmother. She always gets the answer she wants, until Snow White turns seven, and the mirror must truthfully answer, "Snow White." At the news, the Queen turns yellow and green with envy and commands the huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her "lung and liver as a token." Thus begins another enchanting fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm! -Amazon
Cinderella illustrated by Barbara McClintock, 2005.  
398.2 MCC
Here's a gentle version of Perrault's classic tale: no stepsister cuts off her toes to fit a shoe and everyone is forgiven at the end. McClintock places her sweet Cinderella in the Paris of Louis XIV, with period fashion and interior and architectural detail from Versailles and the Paris Opera. Pen, india ink, and watercolor make for delightful dancing lines and exquisite color: Cinderella's first ball gown is a profusion of roses under a plum overskirt, and her hair is decorated with a huge rose trellis. The stepsisters, one fat and one thin (both mean), and the prince, a graceful boy in a powdered wig, make a pleasing supporting cast. Cinderella's little gray cat appears on almost every page. -Booklist 
Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Mercer Mayer, 1978.  
398.2 MAY.
Generations of children have been fascinated by the story of the girl named Beauty, who grows to love a fearsome beast by learning to see and cherish his kindness, generosity, and intelligence. In this acclaimed, best-selling version of the classic tale, first published in 1978, Marianna Mayer's evocative imagery and Mercer Mayer's exquisite paintings transport readers into a world of pure magic and mystery. -Amazon
Rapunzel by illustrated by Paul Zelinsky, 1997.  
E ZEL
In older versions of the classic tale Rapunzel, it always seemed improbable that a grown man could scale a tower using only his beloved's hair. Not so in Paul O. Zelinsky's Caldecott Medal-winning version of Rapunzel. Here, Rapunzel's reddish-blonde mane is thick with waves and braids, and cascades like a waterfall down the walls of her isolation tower. In Zelinsky's able hands it's easy to believe that a prince would harbor no hesitations about scrambling up our fair heroine's hair. -Amazon

Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, 2003.  
E WIL
This book cracks my stuff up!  SOOO funny!  Rapunzel is up in her tower with her maid- and she is having a very bad hair day... so bad, that she is crying and sighing.  The prince rides by and assumes that Rapunzel needs to be rescued.  He calls up to her, but she can't hear him.  Every time he asks her to throw down her hair, she throws down the wrong thing- like underwear, socks, pancake batter and a sow!  She eventually gets it right, though!  This is a great read aloud and will bring the house down!

Sleeping Beauty illustrated by Kinuko Y Craft, 2002. 
398.2 CRA
Sleeping Beauty's enchanted slumber has captivated readers' hearts for centuries. Now brought luminously to life by K. Y. Craft's lavish paintings, this new edition of a timeless favorite is sure to enchant readers both young and old. Fairy tale lovers have been eagerly awaiting Craft's next magical romance since the release of her Cinderella. With illustrations inspired by the magnificent style of Baroque painters, the sumptuous color and exquisite detail of this breathtaking interpretation make it a dream come true. -Amazon

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp illustrated by Errol Le Cain, 1981.  
398.2 LAN
We are very lucky to have this book in our library since it is out of print!
In this version of this old folk tale from the 1001 Nights, the story remains as usual, no surprises there, but the illustrations are beautiful and romantic.  
Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior by Robert San Souci, 1998.
398.2 SAN
I know that Mulan is not a princess, but Disney keeps throwing her in with the princesses!  She is a girl from a working class family who doesn't even marry a prince... and she is the only Disney "princess" that shouts out GIRL POWER!  This retelling of the well-known Chinese legend is an inspiring tale about a hero who is courageous, selfless, and, above all, extremely wise.

The Frog Prince, Retold by Kathy-Jo Wargin, 2007.
398.2 WAR
"Princess, dear princess please open the door, for you made a promise you must not ignore!" After retrieving a ball from a well for the princess, the frog calls out to her, for she has ignored the promise she made to him. He persistently, much to the distain of the princess, persuades her to allow him to eat from her plate, enter her room and sleep in her bed. At each poetic request from the frog, the princess becomes increasingly uncomfortable, but her father, the king, admonishes her and orders her to keep her promise to the frog that befriended her. Finally, in desperation, the princess flings the old water-splasher angrily against the wall. In true keeping with fairytales, the spell cast upon him by a wicked witch is broken, and the frog is transformed into a handsome prince. -Foreward Magazine

The Frog Prince Continues by Jon Scieszka, 1991.
E SCI
So you think that the Princess kisses the frog and they both liver happily ever after?  They are not happy.  In fact, they're downright miserable. He misses the pond; she's tired of him sticking out his tongue and hopping on the furniture. In desperation, the bug-eyed hero decides to find a witch who can turn him back into the happy frog he once was. Successfully surviving encounters with several sinister but dimwitted witches from other tales, he finally meets Cinderella's Fairy Godmother who tries to help, but the transformation is definitely NOT what he had in mind. As the clock strikes midnight, he returns to human form and hurries home to his beloved Princess where the tale ends unexpectedly, but indeed happily.
-School Library Journal


The Frog Princess by E.D Baker, 2002.
F BAK
After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again.

The Little Mermaid retold by Debra Hautzig, 1991
E HAU
Andersen's sweet, sad story is beautifully retold for young readers. When the little mermaid gives up her voice in exchange for legs and a chance to meet her beloved human prince, she earns a real human soul.
Princess Fairy Tales retold by Margaret Clark.
398.22 CLA
Few little girls can resist a princess. The renowned illustrator Peter Malone has created an extraordinary, richly detailed treasury with eight of the most beloved heroines in classic fairy tales. And what heroines they are! Spirited and strong-willed, they hold great appeal for the contemporary audience. -Good Reads





Note: Pocahontas was left off of this list because I am not thrilled with the few biographies we have about her... time to shop! 
Belle is my favorite because she loves books!


9 comments:

  1. I can't say that I'm too sad-- my girls (now 12 and 17) were never happy with how the stories ended. They would always send Sleeping Beauty away to college so she could learn some skills and get a job of her own. I believe that Cinderella started her own cleaning business on the side!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Though I appreciate the old school-ness of the classic princess story, I'm kind of glad as well. In some ways, they set all the wrong examples! But who knows what they'll come up with next.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OH my gosh. I'm so happy I stumbled onto your website! From Thursday 13!!!!! I love love love this post! Thank you for sharing.

    Being a teacher and loving fairy tales I have read and introduced to students most of the above books you have shared.

    Sad - I love Disney fairy tales...however I do think they have run their course. The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast two of my favourites.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm have a goddaughter that's still all about princesses, but I think now could be a wonderful chance for Disney to revamp the feminine images it chooses to adapt and promote. Here's hoping they do something worthwhile with the break!

    Happy TT,

    ~Xakara
    13 Comforts

    ReplyDelete
  5. The illustrations on your choices are wonderful!

    Have a great Thursday!
    http://harrietandfriends.com/2011/01/13-consumer-tips-from-the-consumer-action-website/

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can't believe Disney will actually quit on the princess-tale thing. Like you and your daughters, I still love princess stories.

    ReplyDelete
  7. As you said, Mulan is definitely not a princess, but she wasn't exactly a peasant, either. She was middle class. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, maybe they'll reconsider after the success of Tangled. Or at least look at some of the non-princess folklore, with feistier heroines!

    ReplyDelete
  9. So sad... Some of Disney's best movies are the Princess ones, and I was glad to see them return to those with "Princess and the Frog" and "Tangled."

    ReplyDelete