After encountering a fearsome beast at a mysterious palace, down-on-his-luck merchant Marco is forced to make a promise in exchange for his life: he must persuade one of his three daughters to return to the palace in his place - but she must come of her own free will. Complete with CD audiobook of the story read by the author.

Beautiful, kind-hearted Belle agrees at once to return to the palace, and there she and the Beast exist companionably, with the Beast asking of Belle the same question at the end of each day: "Dearest Belle, will you marry me?"

After a return home to consult with her father, Belle resolves to follow her heart and return to the Beast, but her plans are thwarted by the trickery of her jealous sisters. When, at last, Belle is able to find her way back to the palace, she finds her beloved Beast lying as still as death on the ground. As Belle's tears fall on his face, the Beast is transformed into a handsome prince - the ancient spell upon him broken by Belle's tears of true love...

This book is part of a book series called Beauty And the Beast .

This book has been graded for interest at 3+ years.

There are 38 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers .

Loretta Schauer has always had a passion for drawing and creativity, and honed her illustration skills through evening classes. In addition to her illustration, she works for Heath Hands, a charity dedicated to conservation and horticulture. Michael Morpurgo has brought together poems by writers as diverse as Spike Milligan and Stevie Smith, John Lennon and Jo Shapcott.