Disney's Beauty and the Beast: The Beast's Story

by Laura Brooks, Serge Michaels, Edward R. Gutierrez

Simple sentences and repetition of key words and phrases help children ages five to seven improve their reading with this retelling of the plot of Disney's popular film, Beauty and the Beast, from the beast's point of view.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, this is not an example of great literature that will resound through the ages like Shakespeare. It's a children's book based on a movie that in turn was based on an old fairy tale. And for what it is, it is very good. The sentences are short and simple, to keep it easy for new readers; the plot is simplified even further than the movie; and the words are basic. However, it doesn't patronize or talk down to its intended audience. While a parent reading it to their child for the one thousandth time in a single day is going to loathe it with every fiber of their being, a parent reading it for the first few times will likely find it charming and better than many of the books their child is inexplicably in love with. For those who were children themselves when the movie came out, it is also likely to elicit a good deal of nostalgia for the good old days of Disney.

[Mars G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read, but it left out so much! I would have loved to see more of the story. It feels quite incomplete.