The Emperor's New Clothes : An All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (with Audio CD) - Hardcover

Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes," first published in 1837, has been told and retold in hundreds of ways, but never, ever by such a star-studded cast of scribes and artists as this. Sure, we still get the vainglorious, fashion-obsessed Emperor who is duped into parading down the street in an "invisible suit of clothes." And, of course, we still welcome the Honest Boy, the only one with enough gumption to point out that the Emperor's fancy-pants birthday suit is exactly that--a birthday suit. In this quirky, comical version, however, the story is crafted from the diverse, occasionally vulgar, often charming narrative perspectives of the Emperor's entire entourage--from his servants to the Spinning Wheel to the Imperial Dresser's spectacles to His Royal Highness's own underwear--all of whom have very good, self-invested reasons for not wanting to reveal that the Emperor's new clothes are nonexistent, however expensive. A smart-alecky moth, drawn by the beloved illustrator Quentin Blake, ironically patches holes in the piecemeal narrative with smoothing, if not soothing, transitions.

Each snippet of story--doused in shameless punnery--is performed on the audio CD by one of 23 celebrities, including Jay Leno (the Moth), Madonna (the Empress), Fran Drescher (the Heralding Horn), Jeff Goldblum (the Imperial Wizard), Robin Williams (the Court Jester), and Calvin Klein (the Emperor's Underwear). The Honest Boy? Steven Spielberg himself, the creative director of this ambitious enterprise designed to benefit the Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children. If the startling display of glitterati isn't enough to spark your interest, then the truly astounding, fresh, full-page art of 23 preeminent children's book illustrators (including Maurice Sendak, Mark Teague, Chris Van Allsburg, Tomie dePaola, and William Joyce) surely will. The bumblingly hilarious accents of the celebrity narrators, combined with the whimsical and eclectic musical effects, make this quite an auditory treat. Though the words on the pages and those on the audio CD don't exactly match, the combined experience of a favorite old story, clever narrative play, gorgeous artwork, and just plain silliness will amuse kids ages 8 to 108. (Click to see inside art from the book! � 1998 The STARBRIGHT Foundation) --Karin Snelson

In this hip, hilarious retelling, Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairy tale is reimagined by an all-star celebrity cast. Among the writers are Academy Award-winning and -nominated actors and actresses and other personalities from the worlds of entertainment and popular culture. Each celebrity contribution is illustrated by artists who have created some of the most treasured classics of children's literature- Caldecott Medal and Honor winners, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists, New Yorker cover contributors, and many other esteemed talents. The contributors' creative gifts are outshined only by their generosity: All of the royalties from this book have been donated to Starbright, an innovative charitable foundation committed to improving the lives of seriously ill children.

And on the enclosed compact disc, the book leaps into life- with music, sound effects, an original song, and all the humor and dramatic flair of the celebrity authors' finest performances- in a one-of-a-kind audio event for the entire family.