Princesses and Dragons

Princesses and Dragons abound in our house.  If a day goes by that my four year old doesn't dress up as a princess, I assume she's sick.  We play Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and many others including an old classic- Sleeping Beauty.  Sometimes (ok- OFTEN) I get very tired of playing out these stories with her (though Cinderella does like to help with chores).  I'm always in search of new ways to re-create the old tales.  Here's my pick of the week:  Snoring Beauty.  It's not a Barefoot Book, but it is absolutely wonderful to read again and again.  The classic tale of Sleeping Beauty is waylaid by a hearing-challenged fairy who turns the curse of "death by pie-wagon" into "sleeping dragon" who can only be awakened by a "quince" rather than the traditional "prince."  The story is hilarious, the illustrations are perfectly matched to the story.  The funky fairies absolutely steal the show: Hexus and Blexus, Nostrilene and Umpudine, Fleabitis and Tintinnitus, and Fred (who wasn't really a fairy, but no one had the heart to tell him).  So, if you're tired of playing princess, try out Snoring Beauty.