Intriguing artwork. Perhaps a little overwhelming for young kids, but really interesting and unique for me. ( )

This lyrical retelling of the 12 princesses and the mystery of their tattered slippers is propelled to another realm by the magical illustrations. I want to live in a Miss Clara world, or at least have a Miss Clara room! Each fabric and paint stroke evokes beauty and luxury in this Royal fantasy. ( )

This book is very resent, so it currently has no awards, but I think it has the potential to be awarded.

“The Twelve dancing princesses by Mary Hoffman” is a retelling of a classic fairy tale. As the title indicates it has not just one, but twelve young princesses. Each night the princesses wake up with tattered shoes. No one knows where they have escaped to, or how. The King tries everything to keep them from escaping, he locks the door, and puts a guard outside their bedroom door, but each morning they are sent away to get new slippers made because the ones from the day before are ruined. With no more options left he announces that the man that solves the mystery of the tattered slipper has his blessing in the marriage of one of the daughters. Who will explain what is happening? This book is clearly stated to be for reluctant readers 8 to 12 years old. The text is simple, put into a cliché fairy tale style. There are many pictures. The illustration style is very unique. Most of the pictures look textured; some pages almost seem to have lace that has been draped over the page. There doesn't seem to be any colour scheme, but most of the pictures are eye catching. I really like the natural flow to the book, and the pictures are stunning. I would recommend this to any little girl.