Beauty and the Beast and other stories

Geras's retellings are literate and eloquent, with a deliberate touch of the archaic. They pay attention to the setting of the tales and the characters' conscious motivations. In contrast, Brierley's illustrations, reminiscent of Edvard Munch, explore the psychological reverberations of the stories. Beauty sits at a table beneath billowing curtains, an empty plate before her, a red rose at her feet, while the Beast approaches down a vulva like corridor. The 'mother' who imprisons Rapunzel in the tower appears wearing a nun's habit. Although the text could be read aloud to younger children, the way in which it works with the illustrations suggests an audience of ten and above. Mostly, text and illustrations complement one another, without being worried by discrepancies in details. But readers may be disappointed that the largest dog met by the soldier in 'The Tinderbox' is shown as having eyes no bigger than dinner plates rather than mill wheels.