Beast

Napoli, Donna Jo. Beast. ISBN-10: 0689870051, ISBN-13: 9780689870057. Simon Pulse. 2004.

Summary
In Beast, we see that the prince of Persia has made a bad choice on the Day of Sacrifices and a fairy turns him into a beast. This retelling of the The Beauty and The Beast fairy tale is made fresh because it is told through the eyes of the beast, the heir to the Persian throne. His journey through the Middle East and into France includes his efforts to embrace his life of a beast. This proves complicated because his mind is still that of an Islamic man, and he struggles to stay true to those moral principles. The end of his travels bring him to find an abandoned chateau in France, where he plants a rose garden and waits for a woman come to love him. But who can love a beast?

Critical Evaluation
Mixing Persian settings, Islamic moral codes and the beautiful fairy tale of The Beauty and the Beast, Napoli weaves an inspired retelling from the beast's point of view. The readers get to see first-hand how Prince Orasmyn is changed as a result of a fairy's punishment, his outward journey to the safety to the French chateau and his inward journey as an Islamic man trapped in a lion's body, as well as preparing himself for the woman—he hopes—who will come love him to set him free. Although the book is appropriate for younger readers, older readers will have the patience to relish in the story

Reader's Annotation
Prince Orasmyn has made a terrible choice on the Day of Sacrifies, and is punished by a fairy. He's been turned into a beast until the love of a woman can break the spell. Donna Jo Napoli rebuilds this traditional tale with the opulence of Persian and Islamic cultures.

About the Author
The Pennsylvania author, Donna Jo Napoli holds degrees in mathematics (BA) and romance languages (PhD) from Harvard, and has taught linguistics at several institutions over the years. In additions to gaining degrees, teaching, and writing and speaking on the topic of linguistics, she has written over 50 books for children of all ages—19 specifically for young adults.

Genre
Myth, Legends, Fairy Tales
Historical

Challenges
Sexual Content

Curriculum Ties
Sociology/Religions: the conflict an Islamic man would have as living as a lion
English: traditional fairy tales
English: rewriting of fairy tales
Geography: Persia

Booktalking Ideas
When you think about The Beauty and the Beast, do you think about the beast or the beauty's point of view…
What if you were a vegetarian, and were transformed into a carnivorous beast with your human powers of reason and reckoning—how would you handle a hungry tummy…

Awards
Carolyn W. Field Honor Book Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 13+

Why I included this title...
I'm a newly devoted fan to Napoli, and a long-time fan of the tale of The Beauty and the Beast.