Fractured Fairy-tales: Beauty and the Beast

Last night I finished a copy of Belle, by Cameron Dokey, and started reminiscing about all of the Beauty and the Beast redos I've read over the years. As a girl, well, it's been a lot. I thought I'd list them here with a grading/tid-bit for each, maybe starting a discussion of your favorite Beauty and the Beast rendition. Notably absent are the picture books which I loved as a child - their pictures were always imagination starters, and I always 'filled in the details' myself.
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East, by Edith Pattou
2003
It also has a nod to a few other fairy tales, but I think the Beauty and the Beast part is quite strong. I love her time in the castle - particularly her ability to weave and make her own clothing. I love how the gorgeous dresses fit in walnuts. A fun read, which I've read twice, I'd probably grade it a B+.



Belle, by Cameron Dokey
2008
I just read this one last night and enjoyed it. Dokey's style is always a little off for me, but I still enjoy reading her books. I liked Belle's personality, particularly her skills as a woodcarver, but I felt her and the Beast needed more time to actually make them fall in love. In the end, I'd grade it a B.




Beast, by Donna Jo Napoli
2000
I read this last year, and I'm not going to make any bones about how I hated it. I usually just stop reading a book I don't like, but when it's a story you know well, you figure it has to get better, right? Anyway, hated it so bad I wanted to 'lose' it and pay the library fine so that no one had to read it. Sorry if this is a favorite of yours.....I graded it, well, an F, I guess.




Beauty, by Robin McKinley
1978
I enjoy rereading the version often, although the Beauty in this one does seem a bit too perfect, if you know what I mean. Many of the more recent rewrites seem to stem off of McKinley's version. Graded a B+.




Beauty and the Beast, by Betsy Hearne
1989
This is the more traditional book that the stories stem from. The ideas in this create the base from which all those other books came from, and I enjoy reading that.

Any others out there that you've read or think I should read?

For more ideas for reading Beauty and the Beast, check out this website which is a nice compilation.