Beauty and the Beast

Wed, 03/08/2017 - 7:14pm by PizzaPuppy

Are you excited for the release of the new Beauty and the Beast movie? This classic "tale as old as time" has been revamped for a modern audience, and hits theaters next Friday, March 17th.

We will be celebrating here at the library with Beauty and the Beast Crafts at the Pittsfield branch on Saturday, March 18th from 3-4 pm. Join us in making themed crafts and listening to music from the movie!

While you're waiting for it's release, now is the perfect time to go back and revisit your old favorites. We have the original Disney animated movie in both regular DVD discs and Blu-ray, as well as the sequels Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World. You can also listen to the original soundtrack as well as the Broadway musical version.

We have plenty of classic (non-Disney) versions of the tale as well. Immerse yourself in this classic story set in 19th century France with copies found here, here, and here, or check out Jan Brett's fabulous illustrations. We have a Reader version available for children who are just beginning to read on their own.

We also have versions of this story that occur in other cultures, such as one that takes place in West Africa or a Chinese version where Beauty agrees to marry a fierce dragon in return for her father's life.

We have Beauty and the Beast inspired books, such as No Lie, I Acted Like a Beast! (where the story is told from the Beast's perspective). There's even a Rainbow Magic book featuring Gwen the Beauty and the Beast Fairy.

Older kids and teens can also get in on the fun with retellings such as Beauty and Belle. Also good are the Beauty and the Beast television show and the movie Beastly, both released fairly recently.