Sleeping Beauty (Finger Puppet Theater)

Once upon a time, a princess was born. Her mother, the queen, invited 12 fairies to be her godmothers; unfortunately, she forgot to invite the one wicked fairy. Enraged, the nasty little bat-winged fairy placed a curse on the princess: at age 16 she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Luckily, the smallest fairy had yet to give the princess her gift, so she promised that she would not die, but only sleep for 100 years. A century later, along would come the handsome prince to kiss the slumbering princess and wake her up.

This is the traditional, well-known fairy tale--what makes Peter Stevenson's version extra special is that it is not only a picture book, but also a finger puppet theater! Each sturdy board page opens up to be a stage, with a die-cut hole and four finger puppets--the evil fairy, the princess, the queen, and the prince--to dramatize the events of the story. Children will have hours of fun acting out this and other stories of their own creation with this delightfully witty and lighthearted version of a classic. Be sure to read the other titles in the Finger Puppet Theater series, including Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter