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The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale
A fully illustrated retelling of the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen complete with compact disc of more than forty-five of the grandest talents in the entertainment world. "The cast is A-list. The plot, legendary." (USA Today).
Among the writers are Academy Award -winning and -nominated actors and actresses and other personalities from the worlds of entertainment and popular culture. Each celebrity contribution is illustrated with a stunning piece of art by illustrators who have created some of the most treasured classics of children's literature-Caldecott Medal and Honor winners, Kate Greenaway Award winners, Pulitzer Prize -winning cartoonist, New Yorker cover contributors, and many other internationally esteemed artists.
The contributors' talents are outshined only by their generosity: All of the royalties and contributors' fees from this book have been donated to Starbright, an innovative charitable foundation committed to improving the lives of seriously ill children. The result is a gift book like no other, a glorious celebration for the whole family.
Among the writers are Academy Award -winning and -nominated actors and actresses and other personalities from the worlds of entertainment and popular culture. Each celebrity contribution is illustrated with a stunning piece of art by illustrators who have created some of the most treasured classics of children's literature-Caldecott Medal and Honor winners, Kate Greenaway Award winners, Pulitzer Prize -winning cartoonist, New Yorker cover contributors, and many other internationally esteemed artists.
The contributors' talents are outshined only by their generosity: All of the royalties and contributors' fees from this book have been donated to Starbright, an innovative charitable foundation committed to improving the lives of seriously ill children. The result is a gift book like no other, a glorious celebration for the whole family.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 1998
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465 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 30, 2020
This is by far one of my favorite stories of all time. So clever, funny, and original. As a kid I was also obsessed with the audiotape version. Especially the version done by Starbright read aloud by celebrities. It only enhanced the tale.
January 21, 2019
Very humorous retelling of a classic tale.
June 8, 2020
We all know the story of the Emperor who is tricked into parading naked through his town, but this unique book reframes the story by telling it from the perspective of all of the characters involved - from the wily tailors to the neglected spinning wheel. The organizers of the book pair up a celebrity narrator/writer and an artist to tell the story in seuqnce, one character and scene at a time and eventually building to the climax of the nude parade. Some of the characters are rather expected, but the most entertaining moments come from the unexpeted narrators who add quite a bit of frivolity and even more ridiculousness to an already absurd story. Even the emperor's undergarments get their moment to shine - who knew that the clothes to ocver the emperor's bottom would have such a personality? Or maybe we should have exected this, since like courtiers who think themselves famous by proximity the inanimate objects owned by the emperor must be equally ego-driven. Overall the book was a fun read, which was much bolstered by its unique narrative format - one which I wouldn't mind seeing reflected elsewhere!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2024
Story of an foolish king who spend his money on clothes and waste it until 2 cunning weavers promise him a cloth that is Seen worthy and only seen by person who is not a fool , he ordered it but can't see but he can't afford to unworthy or foolish among his courtiers and people in the palace.
He presume to see that until he wear it and roam in kingdom he can't decipher the real value of the clothes and when truth came out he stopped his obsession and now rule fairly and give decision.
He presume to see that until he wear it and roam in kingdom he can't decipher the real value of the clothes and when truth came out he stopped his obsession and now rule fairly and give decision.
October 29, 2025
I have yet to peruse this one. Does anyone know perchance if there is a cassette version available? I may just bust out my Mother Goose deck and some 90s toothpaste. Sorry, Rainbowbright memories. Is it a good read or is he a Dan Brown book and not the feature film?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2019
Updates on classics
If you can hear guest readers - I’d recommend this version - amazing
If you can hear guest readers - I’d recommend this version - amazing
May 21, 2023
It is very fun to read these celebrity essays and enjoy the different illustrators. Written in 1989, several of each are now gone. A unique book.
March 25, 2024
Honestly such a cute retelling like I was not expecting myself to like it as much as I did
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November 3, 2024An absolute childhood favorite.
April 18, 2016
would be great for a readers theater production.
text doesn't match the audio exactly, so that might throw some readers off. it illustrates how the written word doesn't always transfer to the spoken word naturally.
the voice actors are great, of course, but the novelty of the particular actors chosen for each character will likely be lost on most kids.
also, there are whole chunks of text on the audio but not in the book. the moth through line has transitions between characters on the audio that are not printed.
Robin Williams as a gassy jester is bound to cause laughter with grade school fart humor.
the joke of Calvin Klein as underwear is definitely a pun for parents.
it is longish - working best as an audio performance with supplementary book than as a book with extra audio.
the art is nice, if a little disjointed. each character has a new artist,so the moth is the only repeat style. cool on paper, but there are too many characterizations and the styles of many are similar enough that the gimmick of different styles doesn't really work for me.
text doesn't match the audio exactly, so that might throw some readers off. it illustrates how the written word doesn't always transfer to the spoken word naturally.
the voice actors are great, of course, but the novelty of the particular actors chosen for each character will likely be lost on most kids.
also, there are whole chunks of text on the audio but not in the book. the moth through line has transitions between characters on the audio that are not printed.
Robin Williams as a gassy jester is bound to cause laughter with grade school fart humor.
the joke of Calvin Klein as underwear is definitely a pun for parents.
it is longish - working best as an audio performance with supplementary book than as a book with extra audio.
the art is nice, if a little disjointed. each character has a new artist,so the moth is the only repeat style. cool on paper, but there are too many characterizations and the styles of many are similar enough that the gimmick of different styles doesn't really work for me.
September 15, 2015
I read this book first, without the companion CD. This is an awesome rendition of the emperer's new clothes. Each page tells the story from a different characters point of view, so the voice delivering the story changes, and the nuances added are just wonderful. Each page is illustrated by a different famous illustrator - Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, and Graeme Base to name a few.
Then, I listened to the CD. Once again each character is read by an all-star cast of voices;Harrison Ford, Robin Williams and John Lithgow are a just a few who narrate. I noticed the words of the book did not always match the narration. However the little changes really reflected the readers personality.
It was a treat as an adult to listen to this. The humor is delivered with some irony. For example the word "bare" is used in many different ways. Much will go over the heads of the very young, but this is ideal for an older group. This is a book/CD combo that should not be missed!
Then, I listened to the CD. Once again each character is read by an all-star cast of voices;Harrison Ford, Robin Williams and John Lithgow are a just a few who narrate. I noticed the words of the book did not always match the narration. However the little changes really reflected the readers personality.
It was a treat as an adult to listen to this. The humor is delivered with some irony. For example the word "bare" is used in many different ways. Much will go over the heads of the very young, but this is ideal for an older group. This is a book/CD combo that should not be missed!
August 11, 2009
The story of The Emperor's New Clothes is told from a giant cast of characters surrounding the Emperor. Each has a different, entertaining perspective on the events as they transpire.
Each character is illustrated by one of 23 of the most popular children's artists, making it widely diverse in appearance, yet enhancing the individuality of the characters.
And to add to the fun, the accompanying CD uses 23 celebrities to tell the story out loud. Everyone from Harrison Ford as the shady thief, to Madonna as the Empress, and Dan Akroyd as the Holy Man. A few other notables: Robin Williams, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Alexander, Liam Neeson, Angela Landsbury, and many more.
Actually ends up being pretty long, but the actors do a great job entertaining and it almost seems like you're getting a personal reading.
April 9, 2011
A retelling of HCA's tale by a variety of celebrities and illustrators. The story is told in the first person and from the perspective of the people and even some objects that enter the tale. Liam Neeson is the Imperial Prime Minister, Nathan Lane is the Imperial Dresser, Dr. Ruth Westheimer is the Imperial Physician, Jeff Goldblum is the Imperial Wizard, Dan Aykroyd is the Holy Man, Robin Williams is the Court Jester, Calvin Klein is the Emperor's Underwear, Fran Drescher is the Heralding Horn, and there's more. A CD is included with the book with the story told by the actors. The artwork is delightful, the story hilarious!
July 20, 2010
Fairy tale
Wonderful retelling, with each character a separate vignette, woven together to tell the whole story. Each vignette is written by a different person (celebrity) and each is illustrated by a different illustrator. Comes with a CD too which would probably be a great way to experience this version (although the CD is missing from the copy I read). Could be used as Reader's Theatre with each part told by a different student. Could be used as an example for a writing lesson in which each student writes a part of a narrative that is then all woven together into one story.
Wonderful retelling, with each character a separate vignette, woven together to tell the whole story. Each vignette is written by a different person (celebrity) and each is illustrated by a different illustrator. Comes with a CD too which would probably be a great way to experience this version (although the CD is missing from the copy I read). Could be used as Reader's Theatre with each part told by a different student. Could be used as an example for a writing lesson in which each student writes a part of a narrative that is then all woven together into one story.
November 16, 2017
Steven Spielberg put this star studded set of illustrators and comedians together to give a new twist to this old story. Each star (Madonna, Robyn Williams, Joan Rives...) is one character and has one page to move the story along.Each illustrator(Sendak, Joyce, Kellog.... also have one page. This version is definitely raucous and ribald. You will need to edit some of the words for the young, but the older elementary school kids, I think will get the sophistication.
October 10, 2009
Great book with an interesting twist since it was a fund-raiser. Has an edge - not really for elementary children.
Still looking for a good version for read-aloud for our elem. school. Any suggestions
Still looking for a good version for read-aloud for our elem. school. Any suggestions
August 19, 2012
The family found this is an interesting read of the family classic narrated by many different actors and musicians on the CD of The Emperors New Clothes. Illustrations in this edition was very entertaining.
February 10, 2016
This is a very clever telling of the Emperor's New Clothes, but my boys especially enjoyed listening to the actors on the disc. Our FAVORITE is Robin Williams as the Court Jester. Thank you, Robin, for your comic genius. We needed the laugh.
July 19, 2009
This may seem ridiculous but I read this as a kid and I read it over and over and over and over. The words are practically memorized. I loved that book!!!!!!!!!!!
October 28, 2009
The Starbright version is a fantastic take on the classic story - with plenty of humour and great contributions by celebrity writers and the best of children's illustrators.
September 30, 2009
read this review and others at http://readingforsanity.blogspot.com/...
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August 11, 2012No audio CD
October 16, 2014
When I was a kid, this story was one of my favourites. I was intrigued to read it in English and as I went on, I revived my past. It was amazing.
December 27, 2014
A retelling of "The Emperor's New Clothes" from many different perspectives.
May 25, 2016
I had this as a cassette tape! Oh my god I've forgotten about it until now, but it was hilarious and absolutely wonderful. I need to re-listen to it soon
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews