Story about a princess who is turned ugly by her evil aunt. Her 11 brothers, who turn into swans at night, help her get her beauty back.

Lovely writing. Slightly rushed ending.

I love fairy tales and this one has beautiful illustrations which enhance the story wonderfully! Reading it to my children and of course for myself!

Lovely illustrations.

The story is reminiscent of several other tales of its type, and is told by Erhlich in a style that feels a little overly sentimental to me. (But that may just be a Hans Christian Anderson thing). Still, we love a happy ending for everyone..

NOTE: Find Anne Yvonne Gilbert illustations!

JEFFERS VERSION
This is the first time I've read the tale of the wild swans, so I cannot say whether this is a faithful retelling. However, I enjoyed the tale; it was nice to see the beautiful heroine working selflessly for the brothers she loves so dearly; and that they are truly appreciative of her efforts and work to save her in return. The tale is a bit long, and the illustrations are nice without being especially memorable (they seem a little less WOW than other Jeffers illustrations I've encountered) but it's still well worth exploring.

A few cautions: Some parents will not appreciate that the frogs sent by the evil stepmother to turn the maiden ugly grab her hair, her face, and her BREASTS. (She is bathing at the time--modesty is preserved in the illustration.)

Also, the graveyard scene is pretty creepy!!! Of course, some children will enjoy this, though!

I loved this story as a little girl. The illustrations are fantastic.

My very favorite of all the HCA stories. I love the romanticism, the perseverance and steadfastness of the sister princess, and the loyalty of the brother princes. Jeffers' paintings are beautiful and a perfect complement to the story.

I love this tale overall, but I have read better versions.

Nice illustrations ..and story...Kathy Blose

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked how this wasn't a classic fairy tale, but it also had that mystical feeling. I love the fact that the queen had to make sacrifices to save her brothers and how she was so selfless. This book brings out a great moral for all to learn.

The Wild Swans is a story about a jealous stepmother who tried to make Elisa ugly but failed so she turned her into a swan. Her father throws her out, and the brothers discover that Elisa was turned into a swan. I would use this book to teach inner beauty.

Beautiful...My favorite fairie tale when I was a child...I still think of this book when I see swans...