What do you think?
The Lady and the Lion: A Brothers Grimm Tale
Love and honor can overcome even the fiercest obstacles, as we see in this spellbinding fairy tale, with shades of "Beauty and the Beast." To save her father, a young woman must go to the castle of a menacing lion. She fears for her life, but finds kindness rather than danger there, for the lion by day is a gentle young man by night-a prince under the spell of a wicked enchantress. Soon the lady and the lion fall in love.
Unlike the more familiar tale, however, this story has only just begun. The prince is not yet safe from the enchantress, and it will take all of the lady's strength and courage, through a seven-year quest, to rescue him. Dazzlingly romantic and visually magnificent, this is a book for the ages-an exhilarating tale of virtue, heroism, and the power of love.
Illustrated by Laurel Long.
Unlike the more familiar tale, however, this story has only just begun. The prince is not yet safe from the enchantress, and it will take all of the lady's strength and courage, through a seven-year quest, to rescue him. Dazzlingly romantic and visually magnificent, this is a book for the ages-an exhilarating tale of virtue, heroism, and the power of love.
Illustrated by Laurel Long.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2003
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
October 20, 2020
An adaptation of the fairy tale "The Singing, Springing Lark" by the Brothers Grimm, this picture book has illustrations by Laurel Long and text by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, superbly combined and that stays faithful to the tale.
The plot of the tale, which you can read here, is simple: a rich merchant asks his daughter what she'd like as a present on his return from a trip, she asks for a singing lark, something the merchant doesn't find but at a castle inhabited by a ferocious lion, whose bird he tries to steal. As punishment, he must send someone else in his stead to the castle. His beautiful daughter turns out to be the one to greet him first and so has to go live in the castle with the mysterious lion, soon discovering that the lion transforms into a prince by night because of a curse, and to break this curse he must avoid the light whilst in human form. But due to an accident in which he's exposed to candlelight, he transforms into a dove and disappears. Undeterred, the girl goes in search of her husband, and with the cooperation of the sun, the moon, and the wind, rescues the prince from the clutches of an enchantress that keeps him enslaved.
If the summary made you think this sounds awfully like Beauty and the Beast mixed with East of the Sun & West of the Moon, it is because that's the case. It's the German retelling of both tales that the Grimms combined, and one of the Grimm tales that have a happy ending.
To be honest, I don't particularly care for this fairy tale. It's as if it took the beginning of B&B and slapped in a rushed rundown of East of the Sun & West of the Moon's quest arc and overlooked all its positives. Beast would never have demanded Beauty go without her consent (he insists it must be voluntary) and wouldn't have rushed a wedding with her with zero relationship buildup and no thought for her opinion; and I also don't care for the whitewashing of the girl's responsibility in breaking the promise made to the mystery husband by making it an accident that he got exposed to the light. The quest also feels too quick, too easy, and very unsatisfactory.
Overall, not a story worth the bother to me. Doesn't make you think, doesn't make you appreciate the characters, and even the symbolism is haphazard and all over the place. I, for one, don't lament that it's one of the least known tales by the Grimms, its obscurity isn't anything to lament.
I'd have rated the book higher for the art alone, I really love Laurel Long's style. But here I don't think it was appropriate. This is a German tale, you'd expect German imagery, but the style is weirdly Russified and iconographic-like. That was fine for the other tales Long illustrated that had Eastern European influences, but not for this one, so whilst I can't give this a low rating because it'd be a disservice to the artist's talent, I am disappointed in the lack of appropriate imagery. I'd have expected an artist of Long's calibre to adapt her style to the culture the tale hails from instead of keeping it static and repeat the Russified appearance.
The plot of the tale, which you can read here, is simple: a rich merchant asks his daughter what she'd like as a present on his return from a trip, she asks for a singing lark, something the merchant doesn't find but at a castle inhabited by a ferocious lion, whose bird he tries to steal. As punishment, he must send someone else in his stead to the castle. His beautiful daughter turns out to be the one to greet him first and so has to go live in the castle with the mysterious lion, soon discovering that the lion transforms into a prince by night because of a curse, and to break this curse he must avoid the light whilst in human form. But due to an accident in which he's exposed to candlelight, he transforms into a dove and disappears. Undeterred, the girl goes in search of her husband, and with the cooperation of the sun, the moon, and the wind, rescues the prince from the clutches of an enchantress that keeps him enslaved.
If the summary made you think this sounds awfully like Beauty and the Beast mixed with East of the Sun & West of the Moon, it is because that's the case. It's the German retelling of both tales that the Grimms combined, and one of the Grimm tales that have a happy ending.
To be honest, I don't particularly care for this fairy tale. It's as if it took the beginning of B&B and slapped in a rushed rundown of East of the Sun & West of the Moon's quest arc and overlooked all its positives. Beast would never have demanded Beauty go without her consent (he insists it must be voluntary) and wouldn't have rushed a wedding with her with zero relationship buildup and no thought for her opinion; and I also don't care for the whitewashing of the girl's responsibility in breaking the promise made to the mystery husband by making it an accident that he got exposed to the light. The quest also feels too quick, too easy, and very unsatisfactory.
Overall, not a story worth the bother to me. Doesn't make you think, doesn't make you appreciate the characters, and even the symbolism is haphazard and all over the place. I, for one, don't lament that it's one of the least known tales by the Grimms, its obscurity isn't anything to lament.
I'd have rated the book higher for the art alone, I really love Laurel Long's style. But here I don't think it was appropriate. This is a German tale, you'd expect German imagery, but the style is weirdly Russified and iconographic-like. That was fine for the other tales Long illustrated that had Eastern European influences, but not for this one, so whilst I can't give this a low rating because it'd be a disservice to the artist's talent, I am disappointed in the lack of appropriate imagery. I'd have expected an artist of Long's calibre to adapt her style to the culture the tale hails from instead of keeping it static and repeat the Russified appearance.
August 12, 2011
4.5 STARS An absolutely gorgeous picture book retelling of the Grimm fairytale "The Singing, Springing Lark" holds similarities to "Beauty and the Beast" and "East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon". I enjoyed the story, though not as well as the other original fairytale by this team, The Magic Nesting Doll. Still, I heartily recommend this book especially for the amazingly beautiful illustrations! They are the perfect representation of a fairytale, in my opinion. I just love them! My friend Abigail has included a few in her stellar review here, so I encourage you to check out her review (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...) then do yourself a favor and get this book, pore over the illustrations, and allow yourself to be whisked away to the land of enchantment and happy ever after.
October 29, 2021
An incredibly gorgeous retelling of a lesser-known Grimm fairy tale. Think Beauty and the Beast, but less beast and more Gracious Lion Who Becomes a Handsome Prince at Night. I'm definitely looking up more of Long's picture books because the illustrations are so gorgeous! A true feast for the eyes, yet full of color and detail that will delight small fairy-tale lovers. The artwork reminds me of Russian art a bit, and the perspective of buildings/cities hints at iconographic influences.
October 12, 2009
This gorgeously illustrated story is a retelling of a Grimm fairy tale that combines elements of "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." I just love the way Laurel Long draws clothing. In the picture of the girl riding on the back of the lion she's wearing a cloak with lions and birds on it that looks so silky you want to reach out and touch it. I'd love to have a dress like the one she's wearing in the picture of her first encounter with the lion. Long does beautiful sunsets, too, like the little illustration on the page of text opposite the picture of her receiving the little chest from the sun. And the way she depicts how the North Wind spoke to her is so clever and apt. I must have this for my library--and it's still in print! Recommended!!
January 16, 2011
Simply breathtaking illustrations highlight this retelling of a Brothers Grimm story. The Author's Note at the beginning explains that the story is based on the fairy tale also known as "The Singing, Springing Lark" and combines the stories of "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." The story is truly enchanting and the illustrations are amazing - the single page illustrations look like woven tapestries (did I say that we loved the illustrations?!?) We really enjoyed reading this story aloud together at bedtime. This one earns a rare five-star rating.
January 29, 2020
In this INSANELY beautiful picture-book retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale, The Singing, Springing Lark ("Das singende springende Löweneckerchen," in the original), a merchant and his daughter must confront the consequences, when the daughter's innocent request for a singing lark, and her father's not-so-innocent effort to obtain one, arouse the ire of a fearsome lion. Agreeing to live with the lion, in order to spare her father's life, the daughter discovers that her captor is actually a prince, cursed to remain in lion form during the day, but reverting to human form at night. Soon, the pair have fallen in love and married. But when an accidental exposure to candlelight sees her husband transformed into a dove, a dove who then flees, the lady must set out in pursuit of him, aided by the sun, moon and wind, and eventually rescuing him from the enchantress who wishes to keep him as her own...
With elements of both Beauty and the Beast (the merchant's illicit attempt to obtain the lark, his daughter's sacrifice of herself, to save him) and East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon (the quest to rescue the beloved, the aid given by natural phenomena like the sun, moon and wind, the conflict with the enchantress), this story has immense appeal in its own right, and will be of interest to fairy-tale lovers of all kinds. The lushly ornate artwork by Laurel Long - whose fairy-tale illustrations always remind me of the fabulous Kinuko Y. Craft - simply has to be seen to be believed! Two of my favorite scenes from the book are the one in which the lady meets the lion for the very first time, and the one in which the lady is aided by the moon, in her quest to rescue her beloved. Just beautiful! I will definitely be adding The Lady and the Lion to my permanent fairy-tale collection!
With elements of both Beauty and the Beast (the merchant's illicit attempt to obtain the lark, his daughter's sacrifice of herself, to save him) and East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon (the quest to rescue the beloved, the aid given by natural phenomena like the sun, moon and wind, the conflict with the enchantress), this story has immense appeal in its own right, and will be of interest to fairy-tale lovers of all kinds. The lushly ornate artwork by Laurel Long - whose fairy-tale illustrations always remind me of the fabulous Kinuko Y. Craft - simply has to be seen to be believed! Two of my favorite scenes from the book are the one in which the lady meets the lion for the very first time, and the one in which the lady is aided by the moon, in her quest to rescue her beloved. Just beautiful! I will definitely be adding The Lady and the Lion to my permanent fairy-tale collection!
August 22, 2009
The sumptuous, lyrical illustrations really draw you in to this book- and the tale is well enough told. The heroine is virtuous, and I like the way Long and Ogburn take time to describe that she fell in love with her prince for his virtues (as opposed to it just being he's a prince so she loves him like other tellings). She isn't so much a clever girl, as pure of heart and determined on her quest to save her love. The quest itself has several steps, and is fun to follow both story-wise and visually. Not quite the gem that the Magic Nesting Doll is, but a great one to share or give.
January 18, 2012
My sister got this out of the library (she's an artist and loves fairytales) and I randomly picked it up since it looked akin to Beauty and the Beast, which is, in my opinion, the best fairytale of them all. (Definitely the best Disney fairytale movie.)
The Lady and the Lion was kind of trippy, with shades of Beauty and the Beast; East of the Sun, West of the Moon; Donkeyskin; and Sleeping Beauty (and probably other fairytales as well) within its pages. The illustrations were quite beautiful, in that fairytalesque style.
The Lady and the Lion was kind of trippy, with shades of Beauty and the Beast; East of the Sun, West of the Moon; Donkeyskin; and Sleeping Beauty (and probably other fairytales as well) within its pages. The illustrations were quite beautiful, in that fairytalesque style.
February 22, 2019
Yet again, another story by the same author and illustrator that has elements of the story of Fenist the Falcon. The story is nice and seems more plausible than a few Baba Yagas helping out a young maiden like in Fenist the Falcon. The illustrations are very nice and I wish this illustrator would someday be inspired to draw in a medieval style.
March 11, 2019
I'm fairly certain this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but there are enough differences for it to feel unique. The illustrations are simply beautiful and a big selling point of the story. My only critique is I felt the villain wasn't given enough time to be built up but it is a picture book, so that is to be expected. Definitely would recommend for the pictures and the ultimately charming storyline.
May 13, 2019
This is a Grimms fairy tale I wasn't familiar with. It has elements of "Beauty and the Beast", and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "Allerleirauh."
Compared to all the female characters of the above mentioned tales, the female character in this story is more admirable. Here we see a lady who knows exactly what she wants and perseveres against all odds to rescue the prince. It's nice to see the regular 'Maiden/Damsel-in-Distress' has transformed herself into a 'knight' who does all the saving. This story also emphasizes the love and loyalty of the couple.
Laurel Long's illustrations have the most glorious details and colours as always. Every tiny centimeter is filled with the most delicate work and vivid colours imaginable. And so, this one of the most beautifully-illustrated fairy tale books I have read.
Compared to all the female characters of the above mentioned tales, the female character in this story is more admirable. Here we see a lady who knows exactly what she wants and perseveres against all odds to rescue the prince. It's nice to see the regular 'Maiden/Damsel-in-Distress' has transformed herself into a 'knight' who does all the saving. This story also emphasizes the love and loyalty of the couple.
Laurel Long's illustrations have the most glorious details and colours as always. Every tiny centimeter is filled with the most delicate work and vivid colours imaginable. And so, this one of the most beautifully-illustrated fairy tale books I have read.
January 30, 2010
The youngest daughter of a merchant takes a journey to a castle to fulfill her father's promise to the great princely lion who lives there with his 12 lion courtiers. This begins a tale of riding griffins, following a dove for 7 years, battling dragons, and of sitting in night-blooming flower gardens. Jacqueline Griffin's retelling of the Grimm brother's classic "The Lady and the Lion" is alluringly illustrated by Laurel Long (don't ya love alliteration?). Long's paintings are the perfect compliment to the story. She does fabric, architecture, and landscapes like you wouldn't believe, with a medieval flare.
October 29, 2011
First of all, this book is a feast for the eyes! The illustrations are so gorgeous and the colors are breathtaking! This alone makes this book worthwhile to pick up!
The story, too, is quite enchanting. It starts off like the typical "Beauty and the Beast" - but instead of a rose, it's a lark that "Beauty/The Lady" desires, and the beast is actually a lion. The specifics of the enchantment vary, as does the second half of the book (complete with a fight between a lion and a dragon, a seven year trek, talking wind, and a griffin!).
A nice book to show the lengths someone will go to in order to help a loved one. And again, it's worth looking at if just for the the illustrations!
The story, too, is quite enchanting. It starts off like the typical "Beauty and the Beast" - but instead of a rose, it's a lark that "Beauty/The Lady" desires, and the beast is actually a lion. The specifics of the enchantment vary, as does the second half of the book (complete with a fight between a lion and a dragon, a seven year trek, talking wind, and a griffin!).
A nice book to show the lengths someone will go to in order to help a loved one. And again, it's worth looking at if just for the the illustrations!
November 13, 2009
Any one who reads it will like it (maybe:)).Its about a princess who finds a group of lions and they are lions by day and people by night and the prince said"Please do not be afraid.A wicked enchatress cast a spell on me when I refused to marry her.My court and i are lions by day and men by night.Stay with us."but i shoudn't give any more away. :)
September 20, 2017
This book is soul catching. The story is a classic tale of the power of love and kindness. This book truly illustrates the lengths of which a person is willing to go for love. I've loved this story since I was a little kid, I can't express how much I have fallen in love with the illustrations and classic story. Its drawings are gorgeous. Each picture is a show of the illustrators talent and dedication. They take my breath away and even after countless rereading of this book they still leave me spellbound.
March 21, 2019
Ahh-ugh!!! I. Love. It! I need to buy this book! I love the story and I really love the artwork! Wonderful book!!
Read
February 16, 2011A combination of "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon", this is the story of a young woman who goes to live with the Lion because of a promise made by her father. After finding out that the lion is under an enchantment that makes him a beast by day, but a handsome young man by night, the lady and the lion fall in love and marry, but she still pines for home. When news comes of her sister's wedding, she and her lion husband visit her family's home. But the visit ends disastrously when a splinter of light from the procession touches the prince and he turns instantly into a dove that must fly around the world for seven years. So the lady follows him for seven years, and just as the enchantment is almost complete, a mistake on her part allows the enchantress to snatch the prince and fly away with him. Now the lady must go to the enchantresses lair, and with some magical gifts, trick the enchantress into giving up her husband.
This book gets a lot of love from my three daughters. We love the amazing, sumptuous illustrations that have the color and flavor of India.
This book gets a lot of love from my three daughters. We love the amazing, sumptuous illustrations that have the color and flavor of India.
November 7, 2020
A great addition to any collection. Though, I fail to understand why it has an eastern setting when this is a western tale, a German story. I hope you know we have brunettes all over Europe, including Germany. Still, a very beautiful story and gorgeous illustrations.
✨✨✨✨✨
✨✨✨✨✨
October 30, 2009
If you have little kids or siblings, this is a fun book to read with them. Both my little brother and sister loved it. It's an excellent mix of East of the Sun West of the Moon and Beauty and the Beast. It also teaches a good lesson about following instructions, so that's a bonus when reading to little kids.
October 7, 2010
Picture Book: This story is kind of a "Beauty and the Beast" type. It is about a lady who falls in love with a lion who is a Prince at Night. After he is turned into a dove the Lady follows him around for years and then has to fight to win him back from the Sorceress. I thought it was a beautiful love story. I also thought the illustrations were intricate and beautiful!
January 22, 2013
Yes! Girl power story! This is more like a mix of Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun west of the moon and Sleeping Beauty (at the end). What I like about this story is that it starts, where every story ends (the wedding). A beautiful story of fighting for true love and again a story in which the prince is the damsel in distress! Wonderful!
June 25, 2009
Traditional Fantasy- This retell of Beauty and the Beast is about a lady who falls in love with a lion and ends up having to search all over the world for him. An evil enchantress captures him and the story is about the battle between her and the lady to win him back.
October 25, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. The illustrations are incredible, and the story is excellent as well. At first I thought it was Beauty and the Beast, because it started out the same, but it turned out to be very different after the first few pages. Highly recommended!
November 4, 2011
Laurel Long's illustrations are gorgeous! And since "The Lady and the Lion" is a variation of "Beauty and the Beast" and/or "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" that I've never encountered before, I can forgive the somewhat bland storytelling.
January 31, 2014
Wow. The paintings here are breath-taking. Every time I turned the page, I gave a little involuntary gasp. The story is pretty standard fairy tale, less appealing than Ogburn's original stories. But the art has got to be seen.
April 2, 2009
Absolutely gorgeous and sumptuously illustrated fairy tale, with a lithe and loving lady hero.
June 1, 2009
The Lady and the Lion is one of those rare children's books, where the illustrations are just as wonderful as the story. I'm definitely adding this one to my personal library.
August 28, 2009
Beautiful pictures
October 10, 2009
this book has the most beautiful art work I have seen in a long time. We checked in out of the library but plan to purchase it to add to our collection of special books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews