A prince celebrating his birthday is told by his mother that he must get married. That night he and his friends hunt some swans that fly over head. The prince meets the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and learns that she is one of the swans who has been transformed by an evil sorcerer and only love can break the spell.
So at first I kind of didn't like the story. But I can't blame Lisbeth Zwerger for that as it is based on the ballet. I did some research after reading this and it is accurate to the play. So she can't be blamed for the parts that I didn't care for. The prince is only just turning 18 but his mother is upset that he isn't married yet. I guess back in 1877 if you were royalty and not married yet you were an old man.
The best part about this book is the illustrations. My goodness!! They were AMAZING! As in I want to own this book (borrowed from library) just so I can keep looking at these pictures. They are so gorgeous and it is hard for me to pick my favorite. I love where the girls are transforming back into swans and I loved when the pages turn black for the fake Swan Queen.
I love that the author found a way to include several of the different endings as the original play was worked and reworked several times and had has had multiple endings. She chose to go with the original happy ending and that works great especially considering this is a book for children.
I am going to try and find other books by Lisbeth Zwerger because I cannot stress just how much I enjoyed her artwork. If you can find a copy of this please have a look because it is worth it just based on the illustrations alone.
5 out of 5 stars!
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