Book Review: Snoring Beauty
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that they will appreciate the humor and
the artwork in this twisted fairytale, and older kids,
especially those familiar with the Sleeping Beauty story, will
get the silly jokes. However, some of the language, and even
some of the twists, may seem too strange to be understood by
the preschool set.
Families can talk about the wonderful illustrations and the silly fairy characters. They can also read aloud the more dramatic sections of the story and compare this version to the classic Sleeping Beauty. Also, what ways does Tintinnitus, a fairy who doesn't hear well, misinterpret what others in the story say?
Common Sense Media Review
The narrator is a large green sarcastic frog dressed in a
purple cape and looking like the Phantom of the Opera. The King
is named Gluteus, the Queen Esophagus, and the newborn baby
christened Princess Drachmina Lofresca Malvolio Margarine. And
the original names and unique characters don't stop there.
Several fairies also fill in the scene, including Tintinnitus,
who doesn't hear well; Fleabitis, who can't help but show his
red polka-dotted undershorts; the burly Fred, a fairy wannabe;
and Beebo, the slighted, really cranky curse-wielder. What's
not to like!
The narrator sounds at times like he has snagged his lines from a Sam Spade detective novel. And, overall, the clever and silly language of the story begs to be read aloud. With all its snoring, snorting, and "ALLA-BAMS!" the more dramatic the voice, the better. The watercolors that fill the pages only add to the noise and merriment. From the eccentric fairies to the lush, red lips of the snoring hot pink and purple dragon, this book is fun and will do anything but put you to sleep!
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
