[.ca] Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Selfish Giant and the ... (ISBN 156163056X)

From Amazon.com:
While Oscar Wilde is best known as the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, he was also a teller of fairy tales. After polishing his tales through private readings over the years, Wilde eventually published them in two collections between 1888 and 1891. Although these stories have remained engaging throughout the years, this volume allows acclaimed artist P. Craig Russell to breath a vivid freshness into them. Like any good illustration, the art never gets in the way of the story; Russell's depiction of the characters always remain real enough to believe in, but never so real that they take you out of the fantasy world. Russell makes illustrating look easy, and the result is pure enjoyment.

UGH!:
I'd like to give it a score of "-5" but 1 is the lowest available here. This is absolutely and positively the ugliest artistic rendition of Oscar Wilde's beautiful fairy tales and of that of thousands of children's books I have read or collected over many years. The comic book style illustrations draw the reader away from the inner poetry and beauty of Wilde's prose. This is truly the first book I have ever thought of burning - it would make good kindling for the fireplace.

The Greatest Children's Story I Have Ever Read.:
The Selfish Giant is without a doubt the most touching, deeply moving, powerful, uplifting, but sad, children's story I have ever read. I recommend this book to all adults, students, and children who haven't cried for a while, or need a great, quick, life-changing read.

A beautiful adaptation of my favorite fairy tale...:
I have a vivid memory of a film strip adaptation of "The Selfish Giant" that I saw several times in kindergarten and first grade. I didn't really understand the Christian allegory at the time, but I was entranced by the beautiful, melancholy nature of the story. Years later I still find it deeply moving, and P. Craig Russell's adaptation is as perfect a retelling as I can imagine. Though a non-Christian, I find that the story loses none of its impact or beauty. This is a story for anyone with an open mind and a love of well-told children's tales. Russell is one of the modern masters of cartooning, and his artwork and sense of design really compliment the story. His second collection of Wilde's fairy tales is also highly recommended, as are his adaptations of various operas and the fantasy stories of Michael Moorcock.