Beauty and the Beast by Jan Brett

Beauty and the Beast Reviews

• 
  Marquise

  VERSION: Beaumont.
  ADAPTATION: 4 stars.
  ARTWORK: 5 stars. Engravings, 18th century costume.
  BEAUTY: Blonde.
  BEAST: Boar.
  CURSE: "A meddlesome fairy" did it, reason is given.
  THE Rs: Correct, happens onpage. Beauty's reply to the proposal is slightly different.
  KEY ELEMENT CHANGED: Beauty breaks her promise to Beast for different reasons than her family's malicious meddling, and the reason for the curse is changed.
  FAVOURITE SCENE: See in review.
  
  I'll state it right off the bat: I adore Jan Brett's illustrations for this adaptation, and I completely disagree with everyone else who objects to Beauty being a blonde here.
  
  Brett's art is like a cross between Walter Crane and Arthur Rackham with somewhat softer colours, both of which she is obviously paying homage to, especially to the former, as you can see in the following two scenes:
  
  Crane's castle servants tending to Beauty:
  
  
  Brett's depiction:
  
  
  Crane's Beauty & Beast dining scene:
  
  
  Brett's depiction:
  
  
  And those are just two, there's at least two other scenes that are reminiscent of Crane, like the rose theft scene and Beast's dying scene. In the first, not only is Brett's Beast a boar like Crane's but is also dressed military-like and carries a sword just like in Crane's scene. The dying scene is less similar, but you still can see Crane's influence there, though I find Brett's depiction much more tender. Overall, I prefer Brett to Crane for these scenes, because she's more detailed, lush and plays more with symbols. Just look at the subtle inclusion of the tapestries! All the tapestries are so strategically placed so you can see they depict the animal servants as they are in their human form. One of the tapestries even has this inscription: "Do not trust to appearance."
  
  So, yeah, Brett wins.
  
  As to Beauty being a blonde in Brett's interpretation, the fairy tale doesn't describe her hair and eye colour, so she could be brunette, redheaded, or blonde as the artist fancies. The most common is brunette, followed by redhead, but that doesn't mean blonde is a bad decision. The argument that "France is in the Mediterranean so Beauty should be brunette" is ridiculous and goes by stereotypes of Southern Europeans and ignores the diversity of colouring in Southern Europe. Just because you're Mediterranean doesn't mean you have to be a dark-eyed brunette, ask the many Italians, Spaniards, French, Greek, etc., that roll their eyes every time their origins are questioned because they happen to be blond and blue-eyed. This "argument" reminds me of that absurd discussion by a reader who once asked if Snow White was authentic German because the girl had black hair and aren't Germans supposed to be blond?
  
  Furthermore, in 1700s France, the fad was blond hair. Ladies at court loved their golden locks, whether natural or wigs. Have you seen all those portraits from the time? Lots of blondes. And for the men to have luscious dark hair or wear powdered wigs was also the fashion, look at Louis XIV's court or his grandson's. Brett is trying to emulate the time Beauty & Beast was written, which is the mid-1700s, so the blond hair/dark hair contrast she chose is fine and isn't purely aesthetic. It's the costume, too. You might prefer a brunette Beauty, I don't really mind the colouring though I appreciate the "typical" Mediterranean look too, but it's simply silly to argue for a given colouring as Beauty's correct colouring when the creator of the tale left it up to our imagination. So yes, Beauty can be blonde, and it's 100% valid and legitimate.
  
  Now, on to the story itself. Save for details like the merchandise being spoilt instead of sold, it's a fairly faithful adaptation. The relationship between Beauty and Beast is more considerate and tender here, like when Beast asks her to not call him "my lord" as he doesn't want formalities (in the tale, he tells that to the merchant), and when she kindly refuses his proposals saying "Pray don't ask me," instead of a blunt no. Beauty is given lots of freedom in the castle, with the servants tending to her and entertaining her, which is a detail Brett got from Crane, who got it from Villeneuve (Beaumont omitted the animal servants), and in general has a pleasant rapport with Beast.
  
  There's two changes, though, that might be confusing. One, Beauty seemingly "forgets" about Beast, as per this line:
  
  

  "The following weeks went by in a whirl. Laughing young men coaxed Beauty into going out for walks or rides. Her father escorted her to concerts or the opera. And her sisters presented her with a list of engagements that began with dress fittings and ended with fancy balls. There was not a moment in the day for her to think of the distant palace and the sad, ugly Beast. Beauty forgot her promise to him."

  
  
  It's hard to imagine Beauty just forgetting about Beast, so I think this line needs context-reading. Beast does indeed tell her she forgot her promise in the original tale, and in this line, rather than Beauty simply forgetting Beast exists, it seems like it's a ploy by her family to make her stay by forcing her to have a social life she doesn't want to (Villeneuve writes this, Beaumont doesn't) to the point she's too tired and loses track of time and her promise until she dreams of Beast dying. So, it doesn't read to me like she forgot Beast but rather than she was made to lose track of her promise to return in time, which is in line with the fairy tale, and I see no real issue here. Also, since Brett softened the sisters' vicious jealousy, it makes sense that she'd make them be uncomprehending and uncaring about promises made rather than outright malicious.
  
  The second change of importance is less comprehensible. It's about the curse, and says this:
  
  

  "Some years before, a meddlesome fairy displeased with people for trusting too much in appearances, had cast a spell over the palace and everyone in it. All the servants were changed into animals, and the prince was made to look like the ugliest and most fearsome Beast in the forest."

  
  
  I'm sorry, but what does this mean exactly? Some fairy had a bad hair day and thought humanity was too superficial and decided to curse a prince and his whole court because of that? Or are we to understand that it was this prince and his court who were superficial and offended the fairy? But if that were the case, why would the prince not admit his responsibility and say it was him & his household and not just "the people"? And if the fairy was displeased with people at large, why did she curse only this one castle? Makes no sense...
  
  The only way I could make sense of this line is to see it as an indirect condemnation of the fairy, who went overboard and cursed innocent people, justifying it post-facto with "you asked for it." The meddlesome description of the fairy is thus understood as her being a bad fairy, as Beaumont calls her wicked and Villeneuve paints her as a groomer/sexual abuser. I think I'll go with this explanation, as it makes sense, though I still think Brett could've been clearer. This is why I'm not rating the adaptation higher.
  
  Otherwise, it's a solid adaptation, that also survives this reread with 4.5 stars rounded up for the excellent artwork.
• 
  Calista

  The artwork here is so gorgeous. Jan’s drawings of peacocks and roses is enough alone to check out this book and look at them. The one mistake I see is that Jan chose to make Beauty blonde - I don’t approve of that decision, but otherwise this is a good rendition. It is closer to the myth that Robin McKinley told than the Disney version. She also chose to give the beast a warthog head, which truly would be repulsive.
  
  Still, the story shines forth here and I love this myth; it’s one of my favorites. It is one of the wonderful stories out there. Jan does not use her margins here for artwork, it is just story and art. She elevates her artwork for this story. I just love the details. Another difference is the beast isn’t too terrible and fierce-some in this story. He seems more kind from the beginning.
  
  The niece was grossed out by the head of the beast. It’s scary looking. She couldn’t marry that, she said. She loves this story too and she gave this 5 stars with me. The nephew kinda thought the beast was a little cool. He makes a great monster. He likes this story too. We have seen the movie a lot. He gave this book 4 stars.
• 
  Shari

  Beautiful and detailed illustrations. We love Jan Brett's retelling of this classic story.
• 
  Abigail

  After reading Betsy Hearne's
  Beauties and Beasts - an international collection of folktales that incorporate the theme of the beastly, or enchanted spouse - recently, I've been considering doing a Beauty and the Beast reading project. Yes, yes, I know: another of my themed reading extravaganzas! But this fairy-tale, and its many variants, has always had a special place in my heart, and I think it would be fascinating to examine the diverse ways in which different authors and illustrators have interpreted it. Jan Brett being an immensely popular picture-book artist, I thought her retelling would be as good a place to start as any.
  
  This retelling of the classic French tale of Beauty and the Beast features the intricate illustrations one would expect from Brett, from the gorgeous costumes to the appealing animals characters. Rather than use decorative borders to foreshadow, and tell more of her story (as she so often does), here Brett contrasts her foregrounded scenes, in which Beauty and her animal companions engage in a variety of activities, with her backgrounded tapestries, which (as careful readers will soon realize) depict the animals as they would appear, sans enchantment.
  
  Like a friend and fellow reader, I think Brett made some smart aesthetic choices in her Beauty and the Beast, concentrating on animals (always one of her strengths), and cleverly working a dual narrative into the artwork itself. I also appreciated the fact that her Beast is a boar, rather than the more "traditional" bear-like creature - a clear tribute to the work of Walter Crane (as noted in the jacket blurb). I was a little less impressed with the text, and the changes Brett had to make, in order to incorporate the animal servants (I think I prefer the "breezes" that appear in some other retellings). All in all, a lovely retelling, though not my favorite.
• 
  Set

  
  This is the first time that I see Beauty depicted as a blond and the beast depicted as a hog. This retelling is very strange because the author didn't keep to the original and instead made Beauty (beautiful within as well) not return when promised because she FORGET her promise to the beast and not because she was coaxed by her wicked sisters. How do you forget the beast? How can anyone forget the beast and his enchanted castle and with all the time she spent there as if she had forgot what she ate for breakfast.
  
  The other thing is that Beauty and her sisters are blond but her father is a dark brunette. The men dancing at the masquerade are all brunette and all the women are blond. The little servant girl child is a blond and the servant boy child is a brunette. The beast turns into a handsome brunette prince. But alas, Beauty and the Beast's children will only be brunette is it is a male heir and blond if it is a princess. *rolls eyes* Please note that this is a French fairy tale from the Mediterranean.
• 
  Jen

  I found this book through my local library’s catalog. This version follows the story of a merchant with three daughters. One is called Beauty because she is so lovely and kind. When the merchant loses everything, the family is forced to go live in a small cottage and do all the work themselves. Beauty’s sisters only complain about their new situation but are excited to hear their father’s fortune may have been recovered. The sisters ask for many things but Beauty only wants a rose. The merchant learns upon reaching the ships that all of his cargo is worthless. He finds a palace and ventures inside. The next day he goes to leave and spies a garden full of roses. Wanting to bring Beauty back a gift he tries to take one when a Beast appears and says he will kill him for taking his roses. The Beast agrees to spare his life if his daughter will replace him at the palace. Against her father’s wishes, Beauty agrees to come to the palace and lives with the beast. She is surrounded by everything she could want and servant animals to serve her. Every night she eats with the Beast. She is beginning to enjoy his company, but he wants to marry her. Beauty says she does not want to marry him but will stay with him forever if she can go see her father one last time. The Beast agrees but Beauty enjoys being at home so much that she forgets about her promise. In the end she has a dream that the Beast is dying and realizes her love for him. She returns at once to the Beast and her tears awaken him. She confesses that she wants to be his wife, breaking the spell. The beast and the servants return to human form and they live happily ever after.
  
  True to Jan Brett’s style she foreshadows what will happen in the story through her background illustrations. She has pictures directly behind the animal servants depicting the same pose as humans. The pictures are softer and less noticeable, sometimes requiring a second look. She even does this for the beast and beauty, showing the beast in his human form. Using animals in the story is a different take then some of the other classic versions, but using animal characters is another trademark of Jan Brett. The Beast is even more animal like and less scary then other versions that I have seen. Because of this, I thought this would appeal to younger students. They can compare and contrast to the Disney version or with other versions they are familiar with. I think these traditional tales lend themselves well to retelling a story or determining the central message of the story.
  
• 
  RumBelle

  One of my all time favorite fairy tales, and Jan Brett does a gorgeous job with it.
  
  I have read this book several times, and it always struck me as a much more layered version of the tale. Several elements are different, and the Beast is truly frightening which really adds to the depth of the story.
  
  Brett's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Such color and vibrancy run through them, they are extraordinary.
  
  One of the better picture book versions of this story.
  
• 
  Mir

  As tends to be the case with Brett, I found the illustrations lovely (the decorative details and setting more than the human figures) and the text a flat. Certainly enjoyed looking at it.
• 
  Saffron Moon

  This rating is for the edition adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett.
• 
  Rebecca

  Good retelling of Beauty and the Beast, similar to the Fairy Tale in Lang’s Blue Fairy Book.
• 
  Sarah Bahn

  Jan Brett's take on the classic Beauty and the Beast hold true to her unique style of illustrations and rich language. The plot line stays true to the classic version, with Beauty's father stumbling upon a castle, finds food and clothes to change into, and then takes a rose on his way out to give to Beauty. The Beast then becomes upset and the stolen rose and demands the father's life, but agrees to take one of his daughters instead. Brett's interpretation of the Beast and his servants are as animals. The Beast is part boar while his servants are monkeys, dogs, and birds. Beauty comes to enjoy her life at the castle, including her daily dinners with the Beast. Every night he asks her to marry him, and every night she responds, "Pray, don't ask me that." One evening, she asks the Beast if she can go to her family one last time but she promises to return. The Beast agrees and he gives her a magical ring that will bring her back to him. Beauty goes and forgets her promise to the Beast. Brett's illustrations bring this story to life. Her beautiful work with colored pencil and watercolor add so many details to the story. True to Brett's illustration style, the background of her pictures provide hints to the reader. There are paintings hanging in the castle, showing the true identities of the servants and the Beast, along with positive sayings such as, "Be guided by your heart's gratitude," and "Do not trust to appearance." Brett states that these paintings were inspired by those designed by the William Morris Company as part of England's Arts and Crafts Movement. This version would be excellent in the classroom for students to use to compare and contrast to the classic. Her detailed yet smooth illustrations create a romantic setting for this tale that ends, of course, with a happily ever after.
• 
  Jocelyn Mejia

  The story of Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale and this book is not the same as the Disney version. Beauty and her family became poor and had to live in a cottage while her father worked and tried to look for a way to restore his fortune for his daughters. Her father decided to look for a lost ship and got lost in the forest. The father entered a castle that was in the forest and fell asleep. Beauty's father saw a bed of roses and picked one to bring back to Beauty. The Beast saw the father and threatened to take his life but then reconsidered but the father had to bring back one of his daughters to his castle. After Beauty's father returned to his daughters, her father told them what had happened and Beauty decided to go to the castle so that her father wouldn't be killed. Beauty started her new life with the Beast and began to build a relationship. The Beast asked Beauty to marry her but Beauty said that she could not marry him but she promised to live with him forever if she was able to see her family one last time. The beast agreed to this and gave her a ring that she can use when she was ready to return to the castle. Beauty went to visit her family and later returned to the Beast who magically turned into a man.
  The illustration of the book is very elegant and has details in each picture. Children will enjoy this book and read about a different version of this story. I did enjoy this book but the language is old English and may not be appealing to all children.
• 
  Clara

  Why I love it: The love of course. Here instead of the love in the modern fairy tale I spoke of last Friday, love is tested and magic has to occur before a couple can be happily married. And of course I just love the art. Jan Brett’s illustrations are magnificent. As the jacket says her roses and peacocks make the story vividly come to life. There are tapestries in several of the pages with text of foreshadowing that add a special level to the story. I got the book as much for the old fairy tale as for the art. The art is delicious.
  
  And that is my Perfect Picture Book Friday for today but I do have one gift for my writer friends and anyone who is a fan of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: a blog talk radio show! If you’re in a hurry you can listen in bursts or if like me you walk on a tread mill listen while you walk with ear phones in.
  
  I hope you like it.
• 
  Greta

  Beautiful pictures. Nice twist on the story. No pitchforks and angry townspeople. :)
  
  Updated 2020
  After reading the version by Andrew Lang and reading this one again, Lang’s original is far superior. But Brett’s illustrations are gorgeous. I recommend letting kids take the book and look at the illustrations while reading Lang’s version to them.
• 
  Judy

  This is a beautifully rendered retelling of the old French fairytale (not the Disney version). The art doesn't overpower the story or overwhelm young readers. I especially enjoyed the tell-tale tapestries that appear on several pages.
• 
  Sally

  I enjoyed this reselling more than any other Beauty and the Beast version. Not my favorite fairy tale. Not only do Brett's illustrations please but there is a gentleness that other versions lack.
• 
  Carrie

  I really liked this version! Both the narrative and the illustrations. The narrative is similar to the version Robin McKinley retells excellently in Beauty. I really liked how the servant animals stood in front of the portraits that matched them. Olive enjoyed too.
• 
  Dianna

  The five-year-old was riveted. I loved the illustrations.
• 
  Kristy

  I located this book using my public library’s online catalog. Traditional literature is tagged in the catalog, and I found this book by searching “Beauty and the Beast.” I selected Beauty and the Beast by Jan Brett because I was familiar with her other work, including multiple retellings of traditional tales.
  
  Brett’s retelling follows the traditional plot. Beauty’s father steals a rose from the Beast’s garden, and Beauty willingly goes to live at the castle to save her father from punishment. She is afraid of the Beast at first, but then finds him to be kind and enjoys his company. She agrees to stay with him at the castle as long as she lives if she can return home to say goodbye to her family first. He grants her wish and sends her back. While at home, she spends time with father and sisters and forgets about the beast. Until one day, she sees him lying in his garden in her dreams. She rushes back to him and professes that she loves him, which breaks the curse and turns him back into a handsome prince.
  
  The illustrations are consistent with Brett’s distinct style. They are full of detail and soft colors, and there are borders around each page. The story stays true to traditional European tale elements, including the opening and closing, the characters, and the setting. The plot is strong and moves quickly, and the characters are developed minimally.
  
  This book would be appropriate for students in grades 1-4. It would appeal to students who like fairy tales and fantasy in general. It would work well in a unit on fairy tales or traditional literature. Students could compare and contrast the story with other fairy tales. This book could also work as part of an author study of Jan Brett.
• 
  Sally

  Jan Brett’s 1989 Beauty and the Beast follows Beaumont’s version fairly closely, although Brett sites Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s version on the jacket sleeve. In her version, the sisters are not portrayed as being bad or evil. Other minor details are different. For example, the Beast gives the father a casket containing a fortune after he returns as payment for keeping his promise, the palace is filled with animal servants, Beauty fails to return because she is busy enjoying life with her family, and the reason for the “meddlesome fairy’s” spell is stated as her displeasure with people judging others by their appearance,” which makes this moral much more explicit. The illustrations seem to represent what the story would look like in Quiller-Couch’s 1900s England, and Brett notes that the mottoes included on the tapestries hanging in the background of several castle scenes attempt to capture the way Quiller-Couch’s version include messages over doorways and in dreams. The mottoes are “Be guided by your heart’s gratitude,” “Do not trust to appearance,” “Your happiness is not far away,” and “Courage, Beauty.” The tapestries are replicas of the scene in the foreground except the animals, including the Beast, are all in their human form, which I thought was a neat illustrative choice.
  
• 
  Linda Lipko

  As always, Brett's illustrations are lush and incredibly rich in detail. In particular, I enjoyed this rendition of the folk tale of Beauty and the Beast.
  
  A rich merchant spoils his three daughters, two of whom are selfish, the other daughter, different than the other two, is other directed and lovely. When the merchant looses his fortune, it is Beauty who stays with him. In search of finding a means of living, on a snowy night he is lost and stumbles upon an intricate, lovely castle. He is provided with a meal, a bed and clothing. When he picks a rose for his daughter, the beast in the castle demands that he return with one of his daughters.
  He is given enough money to move forward in life, but must give up a daughter.
  
  When, brokenhearted, he returns home, it is beauty who agrees to return with him to the castle. Choosing to stay there, she is entertained by the beast and soon grows to warm to his charming intelligence.
  
  Asking to return home one more time, agreeing to return, soon she forgets her promise. In a vision she sees the beast dying. Returning to him, she finds him near death. Promising undying love and marriage, the beast becomes a prince
  
  They live happily ever after.
  
• 
  Kim Pietrobono

  Award(s): N/A
  
  Grade: 2nd-3rd grade
  
  Summary: In this version of the classic French fairytale, Beauty’s family is very poor and living in a cottage with her father and two sisters. One day Beauty’s father gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon a castle where he picks a rose for Beauty. The Beast of the castle catches him doing this and decides to spare his life in exchange for his daughter. Over time Beauty begins to fall in love with the Beast, which breaks the spell that made him into a beast, and he turns back into a man again.
  
  Review: Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies. I was not aware that there are different versions of the story, and this version is much different than what I am used to. There are no talking inanimate objects, the Beast looks like a warthog, and he is very kind (no angry townspeople either). Additionally, the language is written in old English. Overall, I prefer the Disney version because it has more pizzazz.
  
  In Class Use: This book can be used during a Fairy tale unit to explore different genres of books. Students can also create a Venn diagram listing all of the ways this version is similar, different, and the same to the Disney version.
  
• 
  Gillian Getlan

  Beauty is one of three sisters, whose family used to be wealthy, but is now poor. Her father goes out to retrieved goods and presents, but is unsuccessful. On his way home, he plucks a rose from a mysterious castle garden and is confronted by a scary man-beast who demands one of his daughters to pay for his crime. So Beauty comes to live at the castle, eventually choosing to stay with the beast forever than be with her superficial family.
  
  This version of the story is wonderful. I love how the castle staff were turned into animals rather than objects, and Beauty was given the opportunity to return home forever. Instead, Beauty chose to come back to the Beast and marry him, unwittingly undoing the curse. The detailed illustrations support Beauty strong personality and Beauty and the Beast's love for each-other.
  
  I would connect this book to The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall. This version of three little pigs is similar in many ways but also very different, like Beauty and the Beast. It would be fun to see how these authors chose to change these classic stories.
  
  "Dearest Beast, you must be strong and live so that we may be man and wife, for I love you so."
• 
  Kimberlee Gutterman

  This book is very different from the Disney version I'm familiar with because it doesn't have the talking candlestick or teapot or teacup. Also, in the Disney version Beast isn't really depicted as a certain creature but in this version Beast looks pretty much like a human like warthog. Even though there are some differences, the plot is pretty much the same but I still prefer the Disney version. Extraordinary illustrations of the palace rooms and an abundance of roses and wandering peacocks in the palace gardens are enchanting. Readers will marvel at the gorgeous Beauty, and who her ugly suitor really is, as they too are won over by the Beast kindness.
  
• 
  Rhianna

  Usually I find retellings to be fairly dull and forced. I love what Brett has done with the tale, especially the idea of the castle's staff being turned into animals (although knowing me, I'd want to keep them that way) and the Beast into a boar. There's something more sympathetic about the Beast simply being a large animal rather than a non-specific monster.
• 
  Katrina Lybbert

  There were so many things I loved about this book. It is one of my favourite fairy tales for starters. The peacock on the title page is beautiful. I loved how the tapestries hanging on the walls in the background of the pages showed the true form of the enchanted people. The quotes on the tapestries were lovely. All the illustrations are beautiful. Well done!
• 
  Rachel

  Another beautifully, artistic story by Jan Brett, however, this is not the normal Beauty and the Beast story that one would think they know. This is a different retelling of the story with absolutely amazing art and a still wonderful ending. A sweet artistic book that is fun for children and adults to enjoy.
• 
  Kate H

  Jan Brett writes a beautiful story but the true star of the show are her gorgeous illustrations. I love how the stunning art in the central picture is augmented by the secondary story being told in the images in the side bar. She is a tee master of her craft.
• 
  Meg McGregor

  This is my favorite version of the Beauty and the Beast tale.
  
  Jan Brett's exquisite illustrations, and the text reveal a story, that is truly, "A tale that is as old as time!"