Sleeping Bobby

A beautiful baby, a sinister spell, a pricked finger, a hundred-year sleep, a true-love wake-up kiss.

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, but not the one that Will and Mary Pope Osborne tell — with a handsome prince named Bob, a feisty princess who wakes him from his enchanted slumber, and charming artwork from acclaimed illustrator Giselle Potter. Here's a fresh, magical reworking of the classic fairy tale that's sure to have kids begging, "Read it again!"

As soon as he touched the wheel's spindle, a splinter pricked his finger.

"Ouch!" said Bob.

"Good night, Bobby," said the old woman.

"The creators of Kate and the Beanstalk update 'Sleeping Beauty' by casting Prince Bob in the lead. With that exception, this wittily told version adapts readily to the exchange of male and female roles. Prince Bob's birth is a joyous event, and the happy king and queen invite 12 Wise Women to bless their son: There are 13, 'but since the queen had only enough good china to serve twelve, one had to be left out.' After the uninvited guest declares that Bob will 'prick his finger on a spindle' and die on his 18th birthday, another promises not death but instead a century-long nap. Despite his parents' attempts to banish all spinning wheels, Bob has 'great curiosity and a taste for adventure,' and gets lured to the dangerous instrument. Potter suspends the snoozing, sepia-tinted characters against an ethereal blue backdrop. Afterward, bachelorettes trade 'rumors [of] a kind, clever, modest, and very handsome prince,' and become tangled in the formidable palace hedge. Only one princess, with 'a taste for adventure' like Bob's, beats the thorns ('If this Bob is all they say, it will take more than some shrubbery to keep me from meeting him'). The Osbornes' conversational prose lends itself to being read aloud, and Potter's mixed-media paintings suggest destined romance and humble magic between the well-matched couple. All ages." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The dry wit of the text may be beyond the grasp of the youngest listeners, but everyone can appreciate the simplicity of the story and the humor in the detailed, mixed-media illustrations. As a read-aloud, this tale is sure to be a hit." School Library Journal

In this role-reversal, Sleeping Beauty is actually a handsome prince cursed to sleep for 100 years until a heroic princess wakes him with true love's kiss. Full color.

Mary Pope Osborne is the award-winning author of many distinguished books for children and young adults, including the bestselling Magic Treehouse series; Favorite Medieval Tales, illustrated by Troy Howell; American Tall Tales, illustrated by Michael McCurdy; Rocking Horse Christmas, illustrated by Ned Bittinger; and Adaline Falling Star. The former president of the Author's Guild, she lives in New York City with her husband, Will. Giselle Potter is the author and illustrator of The Year I Didn't Go to School, which is based upon her travels around Italy with her family's theater troupe at age seven. She is also the illustrator of The Brave Little Seamstress and Kate and the Beanstalk, both by Mary Pope Osborne, The Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia C. McKissack, and Gabriella's Song by Candace Fleming. Ms. Potter lives in Rosendale, New York.