David McAllister, former Principal Artist and current Artistic Director with The Australian Ballet, retells the story of The Sleeping Beauty ballet in this gorgeous picture-book. His text is paired with artwork from set and costume designer Gabriela Týlešová. Each two-page spread explores a different chapter of the story, from Princess Aurora's birth, her Christening, the gifts given by the fairies, the curse put on her Carabosse, her fateful sixteenth birthday, the enchanted sleep into which she and her kingdom fall, and so on. The book concludes, of course, with the breaking of the curse by true love...

This is a visually arresting book. Gabriela Týlešová's artwork is simply phenomenal! Her palette is muted - lots of grays, subtle reds and blues, golds - but somehow striking. Her figures are enchanting, with stylized, elongated forms that are both magical and yet somehow threatening. I loved that the king and queen have castles growing out of their hair, and that the Lilac Fairy has a forest growing out of hers. The way in which these coiffures transform, starting out as hair and changing into something else, reminded me of the work of Gertrude Degenhardt, in her Women in Music series, where the bodies of her subjects transform, incorporating musical instruments as part of themselves. Given my love for Degenhardt, that is high praise indeed! I'm not sure this is the retelling for everyone, as the artwork can be a little frightening for very young children, but for older children and adults who love the ballet - there are photos of the Australian Ballet's performance of The Sleeping Beauty at the rear - this might be a wonderful choice. For my part, I will definitely be looking for more of Týlešová's work, hoping she does another picture-book at some point. ( )