- Story
- Illustrations
- Format
- Quality
- Originality
The Rose and the Lily
written by Susan Ross
illustrated by Megan Stiver
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Albert Einstein
This book has everything and it doesn’t end when the book closes. Visit http://susanross.ca/ for some great interactive activities.
Story: 5
In the true spirit of the fairy tales of old this story shines like the star that it is. Inside the covers of this book we learn that beauty is not skin deep. A beautiful shell of a princess demands everything to the point that the King can not wait to marry her off. A potential suitor comes around but he soon realizes that there is no difference between the princess and a rotten egg. They are both flawless outside, but grossly flawed inside. The prince realizes that a plain woman named Lily is the one with true beauty and it beams from her heart and glows through her skin showing the prince what his heart truly desires. This is the type of story that will stay with your child forever. It is an excellent bedtime story, one that children will want to hear again and again.
Illustrations: 5
Hidden on the pages of the the beautifully illustrated book are surprises for tiny eyes to find. I was excited when I saw a little mouse admiring herself in a mirror. Another mouse was bathing in the fountain outside of the princesses castle. There is no way to see everything buried in the pages on the first run through and is another reason the book will be a favorite. As you are reading it to your children take your time looking at the art. You will find so many lovely gems you can even make it a game with your children.
Format: 5
As I said above, this book has everything. With beautiful tea colored pages the book has an antique feel. Each of the pages on the left hand side have lovely frames enhancing the text. At the end of the book there is a statement from Lily as well as directions on how to make a crown. It is perfect.
Quality: 4
A story like this deserves to be an illuminated manuscript. The cover itself should be leather with the cover art embedded in it. It should be framed by gold embossing and the text should match. The pages should be a thick paper with golden edges. The book should have a red ribbon embedded into the spine to use as a place mark. This book should be treated like a classic, because it is sure to be one. The copy I have is softcover and while it is a nice quality, I believe the story and the art deserve more presentation.
Originality: 4
The story is a fairy tale and is modeled after the stories that have been around for ages. While “prince and princess” stories have been around forever there are still a lot of original details in this book that can’t be found in other fairy tales. I am not going to give it away, for that you will have to read the book!
The overall Ahgoo Review rating is: 4.5
This book is recommended for children ages four to ten.
Related articles
- Theater Review | ‘Sleeping Beauty Wakes’: A Fairy Tale, Updated Without Ambien (theater.nytimes.com)
- Briar Rose (lipstickmoonlight.wordpress.com)
- Gruff’s Guide to Fairy Tale Land (ahgooreview.com)
- Benefits Tales for Children (socyberty.com)
