The Twelve Dancing Princesses (The Ruth Sanderson Collection)

Love the art work.

Bought this for my grands! I remember this from when my daughter was little. Lovely story with a good a magical ending. The girls were able to just sit and stare at the beautiful pictures after we were done with the story. Great gift!

This is a classic story for any age. The illustrations are beautiful.

I came across this book by chance while searching for "beautiful picture books" for my twin granddaughters. Since I thoroughly enjoy reading fairytale retellings and Ruth Swanson's artwork is captivating, this was love at first sight. The girls (now ten yoa) have learned from their daddy to draw well beyond their years, so I knew they would appreciate Ruth's fine work. I bought this and another of her books for their Christmas gifts, and the girls did indeed enjoy them both very much. The story itself has all the primary elements of the original tale with enough variation to make it unique, yet still familiar and enjoyable. Rooting for a younger hero and different princess may make it a bit more approachable for children and tweens.

This story has enchanted me from a young age. As the only girl in a household of boys I wished for a world where I could wear gowns, dance my way through endless pairs of shoes, and ride in a swan boat. I owned the little golden book version, and this version by Ruth Sanderson was one I often borrowed from the library. It recently came to mind and I decided to buy a copy, as I haven’t read it for years. I was disconcerted to find that the hero, Michael, was sporting a mullet. In fact, all the men in this book have a mullet. This book was originally published in 1990, which tells me that Ruth was working on these paintings in the 80’s…you do the math. Aside from the men’s poorly shorn hair, the illustrations are truly stunning.

This story is beautifully re-told and illustrated for young children. It has all the mystery and magic of the original Grimm tale without the more unsavory elements (for example, the princes mysteriously disappear after failing to discover the secret of the worn dancing shoes instead of being executed). My son loves the hero at the center of the story and how he cleverly solves the puzzle and wins the heart of one of the princesses. My only teensy, tiny complaint is that the hero has a mullet--like full on business in the front, part in the back mullet. My son hasn't noticed and/or cared but I find it impossible not to stare ("why?") while reading this. That being said, I would still buy the book again.

This has been my version of this story since I was little. Beautiful dresses and shoes! We pick which ones are our favorite :)

The illustrations and retelling of the fairytale are beautiful. Truly lovely book.

Je n'ai pas choisi d'offrir cet ouvrage pour l'histoire (un classique parmi les classiques), mais pour les très belles illustrations, qui ne peuvent que faire rêver un enfant.

I bought this book for my grown-up daughter because I used to read it to her when she was small and she'd just been reminiscing about the beautiful pictures and recalling the wording of this retold magical tale, and our original copy has at some stage disappeared. The art work by Ruth Sanderson is just stunning, I believe they were oil paintings and the quality is superb.

We love this wonderful book! Amazing illustrations and lighting delivery! Thank you so much!

I'm not familiar with this fairy tale but adore the art of Ruth Sanderson so was very pleased to get this. It's sumptuously made and now a pleasure to own.

Beautiful glossy pages filled with full-page illustrations, wonderful quality of print! So satisfied, will definitely order more in the future from this publishing house! The only drawback is a paper cover - hard one would be better. Except for that, great purchase!