Product Description

Hans Christian Andersen's tale of vanity and foolish pride has long been a favorite. This new and sumptuously illustrated version, in which the Emperor is depicted as a pompous lion and the members of his court and land as richly adorned animals, elevates foolishness and foppery to a new level. Full-color illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #616436 in Books
• Published on: 1991-09-13
• Original language: Danish
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Taking full advantage of the intrinsic humor of Andersen's tale, Byrd has created busy, exuberant pictures featuring a menagerie of animals. The wonderfully foppish emperor is a stately lion, who wears a gold earring and sports costumes of dazzling colors and intricate patterns--until his final moment of vainglory, of course, when he parades through the town in his newly "woven" clothes. The scoundrel weavers are aptly depicted as ultimately sly foxes, also splendidly bedecked. The illustrator's crowning touch is the collection of amazed expressions on the faces of the townsfolk--animals all--lining the streets and hanging out of windows to gape at the emperor as he struts by "with head held high proudly." Levinson ( Watch the Stars Come Out ; I Go with My Family to Grandma's ) retells this classic story with fitting understatement, her dialogue and descriptions imbued with grace. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- This classic tale is a favorite among children; now Levinson and Byrd present a version faithful to the spirit of Andersen's but with a slightly different twist. The retelling retains the tone of the original--spare, direct, and fluid. Byrd sets the tale in a world of anthropomorphized animals, and the results are very effective. The role assigned each beast makes perfect sense: the emperor is a lion, the rascals who trick him are foxes, the chamberlain is a goat, the royal minister is a bear, and the little child who dares to say what he really sees is a kitten. Words and pictures blend nicely, with just the right amount of text on each page for sharing aloud. Well-executed watercolor washes with pen-and-ink detailing make use of cool, vibrant colors--emerald green and fuchsia dominate. Drawn in a comic but realistic style, each animal possesses a distinct and consistent personality. The scenes are rich with detail but never crammed or confusing. All in all, a satisfying adaptation, suitable for using aloud in small group situations. --Denise Anton Wright, Library Book Selection Service, Inc., Bloomington, IL
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In this high-spirited adaptation, Tharlet captures perfectly the satire and mischievous fun of a perennial favorite. Rich with historical details, the full-page spreads show the bustle of the town and the excitement as the boastful strangers arrive, work their way into the palace, labor over their imaginary cloth, and send His Majesty through the streets in a suit of long underwear. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations enhance the story's inherent appeal with clear, visual characterizations of the prissy, vain king; the bumbling, idiotic ministers; the devious con men; and the clear-eyed, precocious boy who calls out the truth. Using soft-edged colors, simple dot-eyed faces, and silly hairstyles, Tharlet infuses the story's humorous moral lesson with playfulness that's perfect for story hours, while the well-written, simple text is suitable for beginning readers. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Way To Read With Your Child
The format of this book and the others like them give a young reader a very enjoyable experience. The adult side helps to embellish the story but the children's side lets a new reader be part of the story not just a listener. Our first grader takes great pride in his part of the book and seems to have better comprehension. These are a great find.

I really was pleased with it, and so was my little sister.
I read this book to my little sister, she is 9 and thought it was the funnist book she had ever heared of. She really liked the part were the emporer.... well I won't give the ending away. But, I hope you enjoy it.

A delightful gem
Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.