Kinoku Y. Craft
August 3, 2009
When I was a little girl I used to borrow this picture book from the library at least seven times a year. I would always stare the longest at the picture of the twelve sisters in the forest of the leaves of silver and gold.
Those pictures look amazing! I need to find that book.
i have read a similar book many times. my imagination overwhelms me and i find myself pretending to have a fantasy life in places like that.. it’s a wonderful escape from reality.
Yes, it is as if you can enter the story-world through the pictures, don’t you think?
I have added this one to my ever-growing book wish-list … so lovely! I find the luminous quality of her work, and the exquisite rendering of the detailed borders around these pieces, to be absolutely brilliant. She has captured the essence of traditional illustration and melded it with her own very unique and modern style to create something that is incredibly beautiful. So very enchanting … thanks for posting all of these wonderful images in this entry!!
She is indeed a master of illustration, I hope you can find a copy, it’s quite a treasure.
Soooooo beautiful <3 I love it :)
The twelve dancing princesses are among my favourite fairy-tales! As a child I wondered that all royal sisters had to sleep in one room (wasn’t there more space in the castle?)and I thought of their poor father (the king), who had to pay for all their dresses and additionally every day a new pair of shoes^^. These are rather practical concerns :)). I love the story and I hope I can read out it to my future children one day.
That is a good question, I like to think they were very close growing up and chose to share a room. The expenses must have been enourmous though.
That’s my favorite picture, too. :)
The picture of the princesses in the golden forest stuck out to me most, too. Very pretty.
That book seem to be magical :)
That’s beautiful!
I used to be in love with a book in a similar way when I was a little girl, the art style was like that too… unfortunately, I can’t remember the title or author, but I can still clearly see my favourite picture of the fairy ball in my mind’s eye.
A fairy ball sounds wonderful, I hope you find it again some day.
I love that story, and those pictures are very beautiful. Thank you for sharing them!
How how lovely!
Those pictures are so pretty.
If you like the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, I reccomend reading a new book out called “Princess of the Midnight Ball” which is retelling of the fairy tale.
I would love to read that, thank you for the suggestion.
this was my favourite fairy tale as a child xx
this looks so amazing, i wish i had that book ♥
I want the book, lovely pictures!
I love Kinuko Craft, and the 12 Dancing Princesses was always one of my favorite fairytales. Thanks so much for sharing!
So beautiful! It’s not just a children’s book, but a work of art! I love the one of the castle.
Beautiful!
As a child, I used to rent the Masterpiece Theater movie version of this fairy tale. I loved looking at their shoes, all shredded from a night of dancing.
I have seen that version. It was quite sweet, if a little camp.
I have a growing collection of beautiful fairy tale books that I keep in my little sister’s bedroom, and how ironic is it that she should choose this exact book to pull off the shelf today?
What a magical ‘coincidence’, your sister has very good taste.
I recognized her as the cover artist from my Patricia McKillip book (yes, I bought it just for the cover art). I have yet to read it though, so I hope the story is as amazing as the art.
Oh, if it is ‘The Tower at Stony Wood’ then it really is worth reading.
I like the portrait of the woman best.
I like her too, and I like that she has brown eyes (even though mine are blue/green I think brown eyes are underepresented in fiction.)
So lovely! I can’t believe I’ve never seen this book before! O_o;
It’s so funny I bought this version of Twelve Dancing Princesses (my favorite fairytale) while looking for another version. Ruth Sanderson was a writer in residence at my university and showed some of her artwork for the tale and I just loved it. I wanted to get the book several years later but I couldn’t remember her name (this was before Google) so I ended up with Ms. Craft’s version instead. It is lovely, but I still want Ms. Sanderson’s version too; would two versions be too much?
I shall have to look for Ms. Sanderson’s version too. I don’t believe you can have too much of a good thing when it comes to books ;)
I remember that book — most vividly, the picture of the forest of silver & gold — although I couldn’t have been older than six the last time I saw it (it was part of our small class library in elementary school). How wonderful. I feel a bit like M. Bretodeau in ‘Amélie’ upon finding his childhood in a phone booth. Thank you so much for the reintroduction.
Your experience sounds so like mine, on rediscovering it. You are most, most welcome.
I will have to look into that book. The illustrations are very pretty. I’ve never seen this book, or heard of the story, but seeing the pictures makes me want it terribly.
P.S. Skye, you’ve inspired me to make my own blog. As I’ve said before, you are a great fair of inspiration.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to start your own blog, unfortunately the url doesn’t work for me though :(
Ha, she sort of looks like me don’t you think?
She does a bit, yes. She has your hair <3
Those illustrations look so pretty! ♥
your blog is so breathtaking. i wish i had found it before this though…..i could have traveled to the wonderful fairytale land that you create with the beautiful and delicate treasures that you share!! i am so excited! i create pretty fairy houses and small little fairy furniture from nature and odd and lovely found objects. you might like what i do.
debbie
Oh, your work is quite magical! I’m really impressed. Do they take very long to build?
Oh I remember this book! I loved the pictures. It was one of my favorites when I was little.
Thanks so much for posting this. I admit that I did not realize this was a book. My niece loves this story, we watch it over and over on a animated movie. Now this is going to make a dear bed time story.
I absolutely adore fairy tales, and I have to say, The Twelve Dancing Princesses is one of my favorites. ^^ I just loved the concept. My favorite is still the story of Snow White and Rose Red, but this one will always have a place in my heart. -^^-
This book seemed so interesting that I just had to buy it! Thanks for introducing it to us! =)
Twelve Dancing Princesses positively capitavated me as a child. I had a different version, but I was fascinated by the illustrations as well (it’s one of those stories where the drawings are key). I could stare for hours at the pictures of the golden, silver and diamond forests – thanks for bringing back the memories! I have to run out and get a copy for my little girl to enjoy some day!
Ohh this was and is my favorite fairytale. Not that many people know about it. Its like its a lost gem thats why I just had to comment.
oh!i absolutely looved this story when i was younger. i found this book which has to do with the twelve dancing princesses as well, which was quite nice also : The Phoenix Dance by Dia Calhoun