Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast by Nancy Willard

This is border-line picture book, because it has a lot of text. The pictures aren't particularly striking, either.

But -- Beauty and Beast transposed to late 19th century New York. A lot of details, the text is used to expand nicely. Curse never gets any sort of veneer of explanation, though.

government

Do you not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?

― Axel Oxenstierna