Classic story brought to life in this board book kids will love. Mine did! The colors are bright and the unique board book overlay and overlapping pages make it even more interesting for kids. Great for boys or girls! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!

Visually, this is very pretty. The die-cut pages are intricate and beautiful. The illustrations are detailed and magical. I appreciated that there was diversity in the depiction of the characters (even body diversity, which is rare!). The book is definitely a work of art.

There were some issues in the condensation of the story. While it's meant to be short and simple, a lot of the "why" is missing, which makes it hard for the story to be meaningful. Why was Sleeping Beauty cursed? Why did a kiss break the curse? (Incidentally, this retelling skirts the consent issue by having the prince blow the princess a kiss.) Why did the bad fairy just disappear? I can imagine kids will have questions when they hear this story, so readers should be ready with answers. Still, this could be a great introduction to fairy tales for very young children.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

What a delightful book! This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty so the essence of the story is not new. Instead, the highlight of the story for me was the drawings and illustrations splashed across the pages. The art style was absolutely gorgeous. The fonts used were clear and easy to read on the pages. I loved the use of a color palette that was muted but also very much vibrant at the same time. The pastel theme that focused on shades of purple, yellow, and teal made for a pleasing color story that complemented the magical tone of the story. It will definitely appeal to the tastes of young children’s eyes.

On the content of the story itself, I liked the way the story was reworded so that the prince merely blew a kiss to the princess to wake her up. I feel it toned down the original story to fit a young child’s perspective and takes into consideration the princess’s agency while placed under the sleeping curse. I also appreciated that the art style included plenty of animals to liven up the pages, not to mention the variety in skin color representation in the illustrations that were included without it becoming a controversial part of the book. Children need to see themselves and their peers being represented in all types of media, including books and drawings, and I think the artist of the story did an excellent job bringing the characters to life in the illustrations .

Many thanks to Quarto Books/Happy Yak and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a cute book. I love how the pages are different sizes, and the pictures are very cute. I know my 4 year old daughter would love to read this book over and over. Cute, easy story to read before bedtime.

"Step into Sleeping Beauty" is an amazing re-invented board book that introduces another generation to this timeless fairytale. The book draws children into the narrative and the beautiful magical illustrations enrich the tale. They are created with die-cuts, layered pages, and vibrant colours. This stunning format encourages tactile interaction. The story enfolds as each page is turned to the delight of a child ( and adult ).

This Layer-by-Layer series allows children to step into even more classic stories with: The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, and The Jungle Book. I highly recommend this book... and the entire series.

A short board book of Sleeping Beauty that toddlers will enjoy! I loved the colorful illustrations and little hands will love turning each page. FYI, the prince wakes up the princess by blowing her a kiss. I liked this change since it doesn't impede on the agency of the princess.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC.

I received an e-arc of this board book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my 4 year old. This looks like it would be fabulous as a chunky layered board book where each page turned reveals more of the story.

The story itself is essentially the classic version but the illustrations present many fun updates. There is significant ethnic diversity and the characters where soft looking comfortable clothing - dresses, sweaters, pants and no one is a paragon of beauty that no one can hope to live up to. The color pallet is engaging and bright but not primary which gives it a modern feel. I think my favorite part is that the 3 fairies are in what looks like comfy pjs or sweat suits. 5/5 for us.

Vibrant illustrations accompany the story of Sleeping Beauty. The story doesn't tread into new or challenging areas, as this is aimed at very young children, and the pictures, which reminded me of circuses, have a lot of energy. I also liked how each page of the board book is shaped and layered so that one can get a sense of the whole story when one opens the book. It's clever, attractive and inviting.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoin Children's Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Another good example of retelling of a classic fairy tale for younger audiences. I really like how the author decided to tell the story for the younger audience and I will definitely be picking up a copy for my classroom. The design fits so well with how the book was illustrated and I know that my preschoolers would love to look at this book. Children love books that are like this.

This is a lovely board book edition of the classic fairy tale. The design is lovely with the way that the pages unfold. The illustrations are engaging and the text tells the story in a simple way.

Those looking to share a traditional tale with a young baby can’t go wrong with this board book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the simplicity of this book, and the drawings were beautiful. The story was told through a few pages and it managed to capture it great. I also really enjoyed how the prince blew a kiss to wake the princess. I recommend it.

Reviewing a digital ARC of a board book with fold-out flaps can be a bit challenging, but I enjoyed the illustrations and the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty. I especially enjoyed that the prince was depicted as Black, and Sleeping Beauty happened to be fair skinned. The King and Queen were a biracial couple as well. What makes this stand out is that there is no mention of skin color. This was literally the traditional tale depicted for a modern audience.

I highly recommend this for anyone who likes fairy tales, board books, and diversity!

Cute idea on an overly done tale. Kids will love the different sized pages and the colors in the artwork.

I just reviewed Sleeping Beauty by Happy Yak. #SleepingBeauty #NetGalley