The Wedding Ghost

An unusual slant to the Sleeping Beauty story in the casting of the prince as the son of a London builders' merchant, shortly to be married. Garfield's wonderful descriptions of the London streets are perfectly matched by Keeping's teetering buildings set amidst smudgy backgrounds. The engaged pair are shown as dour and pug-faced, while the vibrant presence of the sleeping princess haunts Jack long after his return to real life. The disturbing description of the forest inhabited by crumbling skeletons (failed rescuers) could alarm the very young, but for readers of junior age and above this is a magical book to read and re-read.