Which author wrote the 1756 version of Beauty and the Beast associated with French children's literature?

Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont wrote the 1756 version of Beauty and the Beast associated with French children's literature.

Her version was published in 1756 in Le Magasin des enfants, a work designed as a collection of educational conversations and stories for young readers. It is much shorter than Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's lengthy 1740 version and became the form that most strongly influenced later retellings.

Leprince de Beaumont's adaptation simplifies the plot and emphasizes moral instruction, including themes of virtue, kindness, and looking beyond outward appearance. Because of its concise structure, it was especially suitable for translation, teaching, and later children's editions.

The two French authors are frequently confused. Villeneuve created the earlier, more elaborate literary version, while Leprince de Beaumont produced the influential abridgment commonly treated as the classic version.