jenscookie's Full Review: Random House Disney - Beauties in Bloom
Most of my daughter's books were acquired in one of three ways. 1. Carefully chosen by me. 2. Begged for by her. 3. Given as a gift. I remember how we acquired these books. Then there is that fourth category. Maybe my daughter picked them up at the school book exchange, from a birthday party as a favor, or maybe they just materialize at my house. It does seem like the book collection grows of its own accord.
Anyway, this is a fourth category book. Disney Princess stories aren't high on my list as great literature, and this book doesn't change that. Here we have two "new" stories of Snow White and Cinderella. They are predictable and unadventureous. But that is exactly what is needed sometimes. This is a fine book to take outside with you and read under a tree. If you get distracted by something else and it gets accidentally left out and rained on, no worries.
These stories show both beauties in their pre-coronation days. Snow White and Cinderella haven't met their boring old princes yet, so they have plenty of time for their girlfriends- er, dwarf and animal friends. Snow White spends her day doing nice things for the dwarves (oh sorry, dwarfs- I momentarily confused them with Tolkien dwarves, I don't know how that happened), like filling a pitcher of cool water in which ducks have recently been swimming, thus exposing them to salmonella. How thoughtful! Also she picks a big basket of tulips. Why, Disney? Why does it have to be tulips? There are so many plants that bloom even better when picked, such as pansies. Could you let Snow White pick pansies? No, it has to be tulips, so my daughter, the flower kleptomaniac, can imitate her and cause untold landscaping disasters everywhere we go at this time of year. Snow White picks gooseberries as well, which are drawn in detail in the illustration. Of course, we don't see to many gooseberries these days, with them harboring white pine blister rust and all, but this is a fairy tale. She instantaneously cooks the berries into gooseberry pie and has a picnic with the dwarves. Bashful is enjoying the tulips. Watch out Bashful, Bambi is coming up behind you to fight for them!
Now we turn to someone who doesn't actually enjoy being a servant, Cinderella. She's doing some gardening with her lovable mouse pals. I have to take issue with this book. "Pulling weeds and planting seeds wasn't much fun"... Excuse me, Disney, children love weeding and planting, especially if you let them have sharp implements. What they don't find fun is letting you know what they have planted where, or having any rhyme or reason to their activities. It's a surprise garden every year!
In this story, we get to see lots of Drizella and Anastasia, the dopey stepsisters. I know they are supposed to be evil, but they have more in common with Dopey in the Snow White story than with anything truly evil. They are going to the royal garden party in their new hats. Cinderella's friends make her a pretty hat too. Cinderella takes time to inappropriately move a baby bird. Way to set a bad example, Cinderella! We had a baby blue jay on our porch one year. It apparently wasn't able to fly as well as it thought it could. The parents guarded it and dive bombed every cat that came near, right on their heads. I'm sure we would have gotten the same treatment if we hadn't wisely kept our distance.
Cinderella and her friends get rained on and of course they love it. Let's hope the insipid book that they're reading about their day gets to partake in the rainy fun too! Of course the two stepsisters return all wet and muddy. They don't enjoy it at all. That's because they're evil! Just like Mommy when she tells you to get out of those wet and muddy clothes! Thanks again, Disney!
The artwork is based on the movies. The Snow White story art in particular looks like it could have come straight out of the movie. Cinderella has a very knowing look on the cover that doesn't look like the original movie. Cinderella's artwork looks more like the later Cinderella sequels than the original.
The text is frightfully dull. It describes things in the pictures. Here's an example of what passes for Cinderella's dialogue:
"'Look how the bumblebees buzz from flower to flower,' she said to the mice."
As if the mice need nature explained to them by Cinderella. There is an overuse of superlatives. Snow White constantly says things are "perfect" and Cinderella's height of descriptive power is to say the garden party was "the best ever." Sorry Cinderella, that's a trademark of Richard Scarry.
If your daughter likes Disney Princesses and you want to score some points, get her this book when you are about to go on a trip, are going to an outdoor concert or want to provide some outdoor reading material. She'll love it! Under no circumstances should you get this for a pre-reader. You will have to read it over and over and you will curse Disney forever.
It s springtime and the Disney Princesses are in full bloom! Join Snow White on a stroll through the woods and dance in the garden with Cinderella as ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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