The Fairy Tales

This is the first I've heard of J. Pienkowski, so I had no expectations of this book. Upon opening it, however, I was stunned. The cover of the book is a fair representation of the type of art found inside - silhouettes in black representing the main characters and/or plot points. There is little color found throughout this book but Pienkowski uses black and white to create intricate backgrounds to these classic tales. Furthermore, Pienkowski has enhanced the tale by embellishing the text itself, reminiscent of hand written manuscripts of old. The text is beautiful yet clear and easy to read. The forward of this book briefly touches on the source for the text material. Three of the tales are attributed to the Grimm brothers (Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White). The remaining tale is attributed to Charles Perrault (Cinderella). But be warned: these tales may not be the same stories you are familiar with. The tales appear as the Grimm brothers initially recorded them with "all the grizzly details left in." This book does use Perrault's version of Cinderella, rather than the Grimm brothers' version which had the stepsisters' eyes pecked out by birds. An example of the "grizzly details" can be seen in the last two paragraphs of"Sleeping Beauty": "At first she [the wicked stepmother] didn't want to go the wedding at all, but at the same time she was so consumed with jealousy, she felt that she would never be happy till she had seen the young queen. And so she went to the feast. As she entered, Snow White recognized her and nearly fainted with fear, but red-hot iron shoes had been prepared for the wicked queen and she was made to put them on and dance till she dropped down dead." (page 90) This book is labeled as preschool through grade 4, ages 4-8. I think this is somewhat misleading. While I've enjoyed this book for the last few years with my young daughter, many children are not prepared for the kind of language or "grizzly details" that occur in this text. I've rated this book as 5 stars for three reasons: 1. It's simply beautiful to look at. 2. It's enjoyable to read. 3. I am glad that these tales are available in less romanticized versions than commonly found today. I highly recommend this book for anyone who truly loves the story behind the tales. This would make an especially nice gift for a young adult, teen, or adult who appreciates classic fairy tales - in all their grizzly detail.

This is a very high quality illustrated fairy tale book. What it isn't is a pop-up book. The illustrations are magnificent, but since it was created by Jan Pienkowski I expected it to be one of his very imaginative pop-ups. It is not. That doesn't mean that it is disappointing, just unexpected. Anyone wanting a beautifully illustrated book of fairy tales will love this.

I also spotted this book in a bookstore and stopped to look through it. My daughter loves fairy tales and although we have heard these stories before, the artwork is so unusual and captivating I can't resist buying this for her. We will both love reading it together.

I was on a browse at my local bookstore for some children's books and just happened upon this wonder. What a work of art! I was taken aback by the beauty and art of the cover. I would adore it framed. The stories inside are just as gorgeously written and illustrated. I love the silhouette technique she uses, so evocative! Children will be fascinated by the pictures AND the text. But I am a 35 yr. old woman and I bought this for it's artistry and it will be a life long treasure! You won't be disappointed if you love fairytales and unusual artwork.