Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

'Beauty and the Beast' is a magical tale of love, understanding, and triumph. Late one night a merchant becomes lost in the woods and stumbles upon a seemingly deserted castle. Hungry and tired, he enters the castle and finds a feast laid out on a grand table. Finding no one else in the castle, he eats the food himself. In the morning as he leaves he finds a beautiful rose bush in the garden and picks a single flower for his daughter Belle. Suddenly a beast appears and tells him he must die for abusing his hospitality. The merchant explains that he only picked the rose for his daughter. The Beast makes a deal with him that he can take the rose and other riches back to his daughter but only if he agrees to return and does not tell his daughter of the deal. The merchant agrees and makes his way home. He is unable to keep this terrible secret from Belle and when she finds out she returns to the Castle in his place. This is a wonderfully enchanting story, from the opening Once Upon a Time until the final Happily Ever After. A story your children will cherish for years.