Reviewed by Shawne Briggs
This webpage is part of the more extensive SurLaLune Fairy Tale Site. This site gives the a listing and links of tales similar to "Beauty and the Beast". It did not take long for the site to upload despite the numerous graphics on this site. This site's page was last updated in November 2002, but the main page was last updated October 16, 2003 (which is very recent). The main page informs of pages being updated and tales that are in the process of being annotated.
Ms. Heiner,the site's creator, has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a Speech and Theatre Minor from Middle Tennessee State University. I also have a Master of Information Science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (accredited by the American Library Association) and a trained librarian, which gives credence to the site. She has researched the items that is present on the page and refuses illegal access to copyrighted material.
Ms. Heiner credits the 33 variants on this webpage to D. L. Ashliman. Many of the variants have links to tales, but many do not have weblinks available due to copyright restrictions. As an alternative, the source is listed with a link to Amazon.com to order the item if the searcher desires or one can head to the local library to look the item up. Each of the entries is given the correct index number, sources where the story is published or a weblink and information on the story's country of origin. The sidebar provides links to the story's history, illustrations, bibliographies and modern interpretations. The site is useful if a student or teacher wanted "Beauty and the Beast" tales or myths from other culture other the widely known French variant. "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "Cupid and Psyche" are annotated and included in different locations on the site. The site is navigable and user friendly.
Reviewed by Mary Preston
The next site I reviewed was http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/other.html,
titled, Tales Similar to Beauty and the Beast by Heidi Anne Heiner. The first
thing I noticed about the site is that it is visually pleasing. Varying scenes
from the fairytale flank the page. On the page, there is a link that provide
larger illustrations to the tales and tidbits on the illustrator that I found
very enjoyable. As I traveled further down the page, a horde of links to stories
is present. The first link I read was the history of Beauty and the Beast, which
provided an informative comparative essay on the fairytale. My mind began to
think of all the lessons teachers, and librarians can create with a page like
this. The beauty of this page is that as a story is read, there are annotations
present to give the reader further insight into underlying meanings in the
story. Each tale found on the page has a history associated with it, as well.
For example, the story of the Monkey Son-In-Law comes from Japan and although
the story could not be read on the website, the reason is given, which leads me
to believe that the page is updated with current information. Modern
interpretations of the fairytale are listed on the website as well. In that
section, readers can find the source of the information, where it can be
purchased, and an annotation of the modern interpretation. For librarians,
teachers, and anyone who has an interest in the story, there is a bibliography
listed on the page. Some have links on purchasing information. For readers with
different interests, a link provides covers to books and movies that adapt the
fairytale’s theme. The format for the books range from picture books and short
stories for younger readers, to novels, nonfiction work, and collections for the
young adult. Everyone can enjoy the DVD and VHS formats of the fairytale as well
as the music. Perhaps the part of the site that is like the icing on the cake is
that this site also provides this sort of information for a bunch of other
fairytales like The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Goose
Girl. There is no doubt that this site is explosive for this fairytale and
others!