I am going to start this review by saying that I absolutely love The Beauty and the Beast. That is why this review got 5 stars. If you don't love The Beauty and the Beast, then you probably won't enjoy this if you are not a child. I think this graphic novel is really great for kids and early readers. It does not have the complex words and long sentences, so it is a great starter book. Also, it follows the storyline of the movie quite well, but it also has a life of its own. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes The Beauty and the Beast.

This is a good addition for early reader collections. There is a rising demand for simpler graphic novels, especially because many children have older siblings who are reading them. If you are looking for a longer, in-depth fairytale adaptation, this is not for you. If you want a very simple easy reader, this is a good way to go. It will also appeal to reluctant readers and kids who need visual prompts to help with reading comprehension, especially since these are fairytales that children will be familiar with.

This was a mix of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. It was cute and quick and I think new readers will probably enjoy learning with a story they are likely familiar with. But there was nothing to make this stand out at from any other fairy tale retelling. The illustrations were gorgeous though!

I love the original story of Beauty and the Beast, so with this retelling, I found it too short and too sweet. So with that being said, I think this graphic novel could have been better, than it was. Sorry, but this is my honest opinion. I realize that this is for a much younger audience, but this is almost too simplistic.

Thank you to the publisher, Picture Window Books, for providing me with an eARC of this cute children's book via NetGalley. This was a super cute, quick, graphic novel! I loved how it took the base of Beauty and the Beast and mixed in a touch of Cinderella vibes. The graphics are beautifully illustrated also! I loved how Beauty was portrayed and even when she had to give up everything, she stayed positive and knew that everything would be ok. That's a great lesson to instill in children as their growing up. I can't wait to read this with my son when he's older!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this adorable children's book via NetGalley.

To preface this if you have not read my other reviews, "Beauty and the Beast" is one of my favourite fairy tales of all time. I will unashamedly consume all retellings of the 18th century French tale with glee. This children's illustrated classic was no exception.

This book took an overly simplistic view of the story to appeal to early readers. It made the plotline seem a bit choppy, but I can understand the motivation. What really stuck out to me was the illustrations. They were bright, colourful and absolutely adorable, but my favourite element of all was that Beauty and her family were people of colour while the Beast ended up being a caucasian man. Having both biracial parents and being in a biracial relationship myself I was beyond excited to see this kind of representation in a children's book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Picture Window Books for the opportunity to read and review this story.

Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Beast is a visual, early reader re-telling of the classic fairy tale of the same name. This story follows the original short story, La Belle et la Bete, rather than the more widely known Disney adaptation.

This graphic novel is a lovely retelling of a classic fairy tale reimagined for a younger audience. The storyline is streamlined and simplified, which is ideal for a elementary school or early middle school aged reader, just discovering graphic novels and comics. There are also writing prompts, discussion questions, and instructions for a craft project making this a great educational resource as well.

If you’re reading this as an adult (or young adult / teenager) from that perspective, the story will feel much too simple, but as a parent I really appreciate the intentional approach here. Beauty is reimagined as a young black woman — an important change that will inspire young readers. Key aspects of the original fairy tale are highlighted, which make this great for learning.

And it’s worth noting the art style is engaging and vibrant. Definitely something I would recommend to other parents and young readers.

3/3.5 out of 5.

I think the idea surrounding these graphic novel versions of classic tales is really good!

I do wish though that it had been longer or at least had contained more dialogue to really get a feel for the characters.

The story doesn't actually stay true to Beauty and the Beast, its a mash up of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.

I really liked that there are questions and discussion points at the back for young readers/aspiring writers to really think about the characters, their motivations and the story itself. But again as there wasn't alot of detail, I feel it will be hard for readers to dissect.

The illustrations are beautiful though

The artwork in the story is beautiful, but that's all this story has going for it. The dialogue is almost painfully simple and nothing is added to the story. The whole story seems rushed. I think the author could have made the characters more interesting and less one dimensional if the book was longer.

Pub date: Aug 01, 2020
I want to thank NetGalley, Capstone picture window books and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this graphic novel.
I though that this was a very cute graphic novel that told the story of beauty and the beast in an abridged version. The story went straight to the point and I absolutely love the discussion questions and the craft activity at the end. I would definitely recommend this for young readers.

Is is a scaled down version of Beauty and The Beast that would be great for children. It is closer to the original tale instead of being another Disney version which I love. Everything is well drawn I love the look of the book. In the back there are writing prompts and discussion questions that actually make kids think. The prompts are actual standards that I teach so I love that. I want to check out some of the other fairy tales they have done.

Creative Team
Author: Jessica Gunderson
Illustrator: Thais Damiao
Published by Picture Window Books

One of my favorite Disney princess stories! Beauty and the Beast is a classic; Gunderson's adaptation was a revamped new twist bringing Belle into 2020. I found it very interesting that Belle had sisters when in the original she was an only child. Reminiscent of another one of Disney's creations, Cinderella. The artwork/graphics were exquisite, loved how all the characters were drawn. A nice, enjoyable, easy read; great for early-readers. Preferably kids in first or second grade around six to seven years of age would absolutely love this book. One of my only wishes for this short story would have been the integration of other key characters; such as Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and the cutest one of them all Chip.

This is a short illustrated version of Beauty and the Beast. The art style was cute and perfect for the story. I did feel the story was very rushed though. It definitely needs more dialogue and more development to be a really good comic.

*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*

Positives: cute art style, enjoyable for a very young audience, a quick read to remind you of the story
Negatives: doesn't come with anything new, rushed dialogue, the narrator is only present at the beginning and the very end of the story

Cute, perfect for a younger audience. I liked that there is a more diverse representation of Beauty and the Beast.

Disclaimer : I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review !

This is such a cute early reading book. It' one step up from picture books and an adorable introduction to simplified fairy tales.
I really enjoyed the art style for the most part, it was very adorable though a little too short in my opinion. I believe they could've added beautiful illustrations to really captivate a younger reader and make them want to "see the pretty pictures" again, again and again.
Other than that my only other complaint would be the lack of storytelling, I understand minimizing it but in certain instances like when the sisters want her fortune, the authors could've added what happens in between that and the beast falling sick. It was cute but not captivating, nice but not anything new. Nothing made me think
if I have to buy a beauty and the beast retelling for a kid "This" is what I would choose. Unfortunately,
not a version I will remember with a particular fondness.
Otherwise a cute intro to comics/graphic novel for any children aged between 5-7 years old or children just learning to read on their own.
2.5/5 stars
-Bookarina

It's a classic story of beauty and beast without any twist and turns.Illustrations are colorful and eye-catching.Keeping in mind the age group this book is targeted for it's one of the best books.I read so far.

I was not impressed with this book at all! I am a huge Disney freak so I was excited to see a possible version of a Disney tale. I was surprised to see it was a graphic novel but thought it was a great way to bring them to kids. There were many things I didn’t like about this book! I hated the artwork, the plot was so different from the story, there was no fluff in the story.... and I could keep going! I do not think this was a great publication. It can use some work!

This was a cute adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. It didn't really add anything to the story, and was actually pretty basic, but the art is gorgeous.

A perfectly serviceable version of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed the addition of Beauty having sisters to this version of the tale, but other than that it's a mighty simplistic version that will only serve libraries that don't have many graphic adaptation of the story already.