Beauty and the Beast

A brown-skinned Beauty--what a refreshing change! Cornrows, braids and beads, Afro puffs and twists. No, it's not an African-American hair magazine; these are some of the hairstyles that Beauty and her sisters sport in Cummings and Lee's ethnically rich retelling of an old, typically Caucasian favorite. The Beast's family crest, an intricate figure on the title page that strongly resembles a West African Adinkra symbol, sets the stage for this picture book's all-black cast of characters. Though Lee recounts the familiar French version in the text, beginning with the cover image, the illustrations affirm the beauty of this lithe girl of African descent and even of her mean-spirited sisters. Cummings' illustrations convey so much detail that even the pre-transformation Beast seems beautiful...in his own way. Because of these culturally specific visual dynamics, the handsome visage of Beast-turned-prince comes as no surprise. Readers who attend to detail will delight in the Beast's fierce animal topiaries and in a plethora of beastly faces found inunlikely places such as the backs of chairs, masks hanging on the walls and the cedar chest in Beauty's room. This lovely reimagining of an old tale affirms the browning of American's contemporary young readership. (Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright 2013 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Giving Cummings's lushly detailed paintings center stage, Lee (Cummings's husband) simplifies Madame de Villeneuve's fairy tale and puts it into Beauty's first-person voice, a choice that accords well with the intense close-up perspectives of the pictures. While the retelling retains the tale's original details, the pictures portray all of the characters as black, in settings (according to the jacket copy) drawing inspiration from "the cultural imagery of West Africa and the architecture of the Dogon of Mali." But princess-crazed children of all colors should enjoy the lavish outfits and hairstyles of Beauty and her three older sisters (one more sister than the original provides, and nicer girls at that). The Beast's palace, as well, enjoys considerable embellishment, with much animal topiary, elaborately wrought furnishings, and, mysteriously, faces everywhere. The retelling is crisp, the drafting is skillful, and the compositions are dramatic; while purists might sniff at the anachronistic setting, it's really not so much Africa as it is fairyland.

Copyright 2014 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

Grades K-3. This charming retelling of the classic fairy tale tackles age-old themes of friendship, love, and loyalty with a fresh sophistication. Told from Beauty’s first-person perspective, the story has a quiet, calm tone that mitigates the creepiness of Beast’s possessive love. In Cummings’ illustrations, however, his face is kindly—not a bit ominous—so readers are encouraged to be empathetic even while he keeps Beauty apart from her family. Ultimately, of course, Beauty learns that she can love a father and a husband and never have to leave the palace, and thus keeps everyone happy. “Now,” says Beauty in the final turnaround, “I would not leave!” Vibrant watercolor-and-gouache paintings based on West African architecture, landscape, and cultural motifs set this tale apart from the European versions, reminding readers that there is beauty to be found in beasts all over the world.

Copyright 2014 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

The husband-and-wife duo of Lee (making his picture book debut) and Cummings (Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon!) set their retelling in an unnamed part of Africa, reimagining the story's castle and surroundings in a distinctly African idiom. Beauty's hair is braided in cornrows and decorated with shells and beads; the Beast, pictured with thick brown fur and a wild mane of hair, has rows of lines painted on his face and across his hairy nose. The story, though, is largely unchanged. Beauty narrates, repeating one sentence like an incantation. The Beast is generous and the castle lovely, she admits, "But... I could not leave." She's saved, as in the traditional version, by admitting that she has grown to love the ugly monster, at which point the sentence changes. "Now," she says, "I would not leave!" Beauty's appearance will draw readers of color who long for fairy tale heroines who look more like themselves, and the moment in which it is revealed that the ugly Beast's true self is a young, handsome African prince is unexpectedly powerful, too. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-6—Set in West Africa, this ageless tale of love kindled through the graciousness and devotion of an outwardly hideous "Beast" is smartly narrated in clipped, contemporary first person by Beauty, the youngest and most devoted of four daughters, who asks her father for a rose, while her sisters request a list of finery. ("How could I know his promise to bring me a single rose would change all our lives forever?") Beautifully executed full- and double-page folk-style illustrations combine the vivid hues of watercolor, the softness of pastel, and the texture of gouache. Bold African patterns; elegance in design of clothing, jewelry and coiffures; and the unique architectural style of the Beast's enchanted palace, with influences from the ancient Dogon buildings of Mali, add to the book's distinctiveness. The palace's invisible servants watch from eyes in a cabinet's wood grain, stone faces on pillars, and masks on the walls. Lee's retelling retains the major elements of the original story while providing a fresh approach that demands consideration for all collections.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Beautifully executed illustrations with influences from ancient Dogon buildings of Mali. Lee's retelling provid[es] a fresh approach that demands consideration for all collections."—School Library Journal