School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-The creators of the comical Falling for Rapunzel (Putnam, 2003) present an equally funny spoof of "Sleeping Beauty." Prince Charming is out searching for beasts to slay when he hears a loud and strange sound emanating from a castle. Sure that a dragon lurks within, he climbs through a window, only to discover a snoring princess. Three fluttering fairies inform him that she will awaken only for a prince and tell him to "give the girl a little lip." The clueless hero responds by hollering, "WAKE UP, LAZYBONES!" As Beauty sleeps on, he does more silly things like jumping on the bed and shooting her out of a cannon, before the exasperated fairies exclaim, "How can you be so unromantic?...wake her with a/KISS!" The prince responds, "One hundred years of morning breath./Wow! That could be the kiss of death!" Filled with puns and lively wordplay, the rhyming plays off traditional plot elements, and readers familiar with the original will enjoy making comparisons. Colorful, waggish illustrations, done in acrylic paint and collage, enhance the amusing story. Angular faces have exaggerated features: Beauty's lips form a heart shape and the prince's eyes-large circles with tiny dots-manage to be very expressive. The flashy cover will beckon children in, and the fun-filled story will appeal to girls as well as boys (especially those who, like the prince, are still in the "girls are yucky" stage).-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The creators of Falling for Rapunzel offer another creatively warped version of a familiar tale, again pairing chipper rhymed couplets with dynamic mixed-media art. In search of dragons to slay, Prince Charming believes he has found his prey when he hears a "dreadful sound" coming from a castle-but it is only the snoring of Sleeping Beauty. The three tiny fairies who surround her bed try their best to tell the prince how to wrench the maiden from her slumbers, but each time the rhyming fairies are about to pronounce the word "kiss," he interrupts them with another futile stab at waking Beauty (he tries jumping on the bed, pouring water on her head and shooting her out of a cannon, after which he fishes her from the moat). Featuring textured, patterned fabrics and robust rosy hues, Monks's illustrations incorporate funny flourishes, among them spiders spinning webs and mice cavorting by Beauty's bedside. A surprise ending will leave readers thoroughly roused. Ages 3-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
