love of local in Utah
Twelve Dancing Princesses, by Brigette Barrager
Last week for my mother’s 50th birthday I took her and my two sisters to tea at the Grand America Hotel. It was a hit, and on the way out we checked out the adorable children’s boutique there. I just SAW this book from the corner of my eye and walked straight over to buy it. I didn’t look through it or read it…I just saw the cover and bought it. Why? Because Twelve Dancing Princesses is my favorite “princess story” and “fairy tale” and, let me tell you, books on this story are slim picking! I have ordered OTHER Twelve Dancing Princesses books when I see them on amazon and have always been disappointed. Then Barbie came out with a movie and book based off the story and it is just horrid.
When I saw this book and the cover I knew it was going to be good and it WAS. Twelve Dancing Princesses by Brigette Barrager has beautiful illustrations full of color that are modern but also…timeless. The illustrations look vintage but modern day at the same time and the colors have just the right amount of POP.
The story is re-told by the illustrator as well and it is re-told is a very nice way. In this story the twelve princesses are under a *spell* and that is why they dance all night long. And their poor dad the king is just trying to figure out why his girls are so exhausted all the time. The cobbler who makes their dancing shoes is so worried about them that he follows them one night and figures out what is going on and breaks the spell. See? Don’t you like that version better?
People are curious to know why this fairy tale is my favorite. All I can tell you is when my grandpa came to visit when I was little, he would come into our room with his huge Grimms Fairy Tale book. He would read us any story we asked for in that book and this is the one I always chose. Who knows why? All I know is when I hear this story it always makes me remember him. So that is why it is my favorite.
And now Twelve Dancing Princesses by Brigette Barrager is my favorite version. So glad to finally have one that I love!
