Book Review: Snoring Beauty

Author: Bruce Hale (author); Howard Fine (illustrator)
Genre: Fiction, Fairy Tales, Picture Book
Release: May, 2008
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5

Description: A furious fairy. A cruel curse. A princess enchanted by a spell.

Think you know the story of Sleeping Beauty? Better think again. This fractured fairy tale tells the real story of Sleeping Beauty - warts, scales, and all.

And guess what? She snores.

Review: King Gluteus and Queen Esophagus throws a christening party for their new baby girl, Princess Drachmina Lofresca Malvolio Margarine (Marge for short). In the same tradition as the original Sleeping Beauty, the fairies in attendance bless Marge with wonderful gifts. Then, a garlic-smelling fairy named Beebo, comes and puts a curse on her: on her 16th birthday, she'll die under the wheels of a pie wagon. The king begs the last fairy, a hard-of-hearing fairy named Tintinnitus, to undo the curse. So, instead of dying under the wheels of a pie wagon, Marge will turn into a sleeping dragon who only can be awakened by a quince. When the time comes, Marge turns into a beautiful, hot pink and purple dragon who wears red lipstick and nail polish. The kingdom can breathe easy because she doesn't die, only she not only sleeps, she snores. Horribly. The king issues an edict: whoever can wake Marge up will marry her. What follows is a hilarious journey until Prince Quince comes along. Will his kiss be just what the snoring dragon needs?

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• There's absolutely nothing I didn't like about this book. Nothing.

WHAT I LIKED

• Everything! It was a wonderfully funny take on a classic fairy tale. The pics were awesome, but I expected that from Howard Fine. The cover is what attracted me, but the whole book did not disappoint.

This book is definitely perfect for read-alouds. And kids aren't the only ones who'll fall in love with Snoring Beauty. It has just enough sarcasm (it's narrated by a sarcastic frog) and laughs that the whole family will enjoy it. I LOVED this book!