Fractured Fairytale Picture Book

Kids Picture Book Review – Fractured Fairy Tales Roundup

FRACTURED FAIRY TALES
A ROUNDUP

 

 

 

 

the most terrible of all coverTHE MOST TERRIBLE OF ALL
Written by Muon Thị Văn
Illustrated by Matt Myers
(Margaret K. McElderry Books; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

If you like fairy tales, Muon Thị Văn’s new spin on Snow White will enchant you. Snow White and the dwarfs aren’t featured, rather the focus is on the Magic Mirror used by the Evil Queen. In The Most Terrible of All, the queen has been replaced by Smugg, a lovable monster. Smugg is certain he’s the most terrible beast in the land—his mirror tells him so. Until, one day, when he’s out-terribled by someone new, someone “a million times more terrible.” Not one to sit idly by, Smugg goes in search of this interloper. His quest takes him all the way . . . next door where a houseful of fiends contends for the title of Most Terrible.

This ghoulish fractured fairy tale delighted me. Matt Myers’s art features lovely blues, greens, purples, and pinks giving the book a calm vibe even though the action’s quite exciting. His “ginormous sea serpent” is wonderfully scary and my favorite creature in the book.

Kids will enjoy this picture book because it’s a funny version of a story they already know. The monsters are charming and the ending is just perfect.

Moldilocks book coverMOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE SCARES: A ZOMBIE TALE
Written by Lynne Marie
Illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo
(Sterling Children’s Books; $16.95, Ages 4-8)

Goldilocks has gone ghoulish in Lynne Marie’s picture book, Moldilocks and the Three Scares: A Zombie Tale. The Scare family—a monster dad, mummy mom, and vampire daughter—are enjoying a lovely night together preparing a midnight snack of sliced finger sandwiches and Alpha-Bat soup. But, of course, the soup is too hot; it boils Dad’s bolts, causes Mama to unravel, and gives Baby a fang-ache.

David Rodriguez Lorenzo illustrations are deathly cute. Details enliven each scenes. The page that enchants me is Moldilocks zombie-stumbling across the dining table with a fly escort. The three chairs are perfectly suited for each family member. Their décor is skeletal chic. A skull vase displays withering flowers, an old-fashioned TV’s rabbit ears appear to be femurs, and the standing lamp is a headless skeleton holding up its lampshade.

Pay attention to the opening pages because those lines will come back to haunt you with the book’s modern ending. When the Scares catch Moldilocks in their ghastly abode, Mama muses that her “nightmares have been answered”; I think Moldilocks would agree.

Reading Beauty cover

READING BEAUTY
Written by Deborah Underwood
Illustrated by Meg Hunt
(Chronicle Books; $17.99, Ages 6-8)

The winning team of Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt from Interstellar Cinderella are together again in Reading Beauty, another rhyming fractured fairy tale picture book. In this version, instead of the princess pricking her finger on a spinning wheel, Princess Lex lives in a book-loving kingdom and is cursed to go into a deathlike sleep from a paper cut. Therefore, all books are secreted away on her fifteenth birthday.

“Without its books, their world grew bleak, consumed by dark and gloom.” Luckily Lex’s cute puppy, Prince, has been trained to fetch her things to read. I like how this smart princess takes matters into her own hands, especially the funny scene where Lex fools the fairy.

The art pops from the page. A bright blend of classic fairy tale and futuristic wonder will delightfully transport readers into a modern world. You’ll have to pick up your own copy to discover the creative ending.

 

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It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk

IT’S NOT JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Written by Josh Funk
Illustrated by Edwardian Taylor
(Two Lions;  $17.99 Hardcover, $5.99 Digital, Ages 4-8)

 

cover art for It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk

 

Josh Funk is fab at doing funny. His first fractured fairy tale (good news, there’ll be more!), It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk, breaks with picture book convention and the fourth wall or maybe it’s the fourth page in this case, by introducing an uproarious dialogue between the narrator and the main character (to name a few) that kids and parents alike will eat up. Parents, caregivers and more experienced readers will be unable to resist the urge to to jump in and take on voicing all the characters’ roles if reading aloud. Being a fractured fairy tale, this story unfolds with a humorous back and forth between the narrator and the titular Jack (see artwork below) whom he must awaken in order to get on with his storytelling. Soon Jack has his magic beans, but he’s also been growing frustrated with the direction of the tale, often making demands of the narrator that are not unlike those of a child who doesn’t want to do his homework, brush his teeth or go to bed.

 

Interior spread by Edwardian Taylor from It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk

 

Interior spread by Edwardian Taylor from It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk

 

While climbing the seriously high stalk, Jack sees his pal Cindy (Cinderella) on her palace balcony. Here readers first see the hilarious and unexpected interplay between some beloved fairytales that will no doubt be a feature of Funk’s future fractured fairy tales and a most welcomed one. Inside the giant’s house, an enormous shadow on the wall and “a booming voice” signal just what’s in store for Jack. Then, quite unexpectedly and most certainly not in the original version, our hero gets a bit sassy about the giant’s poor rhyming skills. This does not bode well for Jack and before too long it’s looking like he’s going to be the main ingredient of Giant Stew. Once again interrupting the narrator who’s so desperate to continue the story, Jack casually but oh so cleverly mentions something to the giant that he’s hoping will change his fate and positively influence an alternative ending. Funk’s flair for terrific twists promises to satisfy all readers eager to see the pieces of this fractured fairy tale come together seamlessly.

 

Interior spread by Edwardian Taylor from It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk

 

It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk is a very visual book that instantly invites readers to study all the details on every page of Taylor’s appealing artwork. On the back of the book’s jacket cover, readers are told to “Look for the gingerbread man, the three blind mice, and other fairy tale friends hidden though out the book!” I quite enjoyed leafing back through the pages to see what characters I might have overlooked on the first read and so will your youngsters. Get a copy today to get in on the jokes. It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk will make fairy tale devotees of a whole new generation of young readers while sprouting a whole new crop of Funk fans along the way.

Josh Funk

Edwardian Taylor

All interior spreads from It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk are courtesy of Two Lions.

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
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Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep

HILDIE BITTERPICKLES NEEDS HER SLEEP
Written by Robin Newman
Illustrated by Chris Ewald
(Creston Books; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

 

Hildie Bitterpickles by Robin Newman book cover

 

When I enjoy a book as much as I enjoyed Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep, I have to read every last page, including the copyright page! There I might even discover a clever dedication or some other surprise. So imagine my delight upon finding the following treat after finishing Robin Newman’s latest picture book:

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to real persons, witches, giants, or rats, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

What’s a witch in want of a good night’s sleep supposed to do when her noisy neighbors make it impossible? Is any shut-eye even possible when the very loud Jack and the Beanstalk giant moves in next door and his miles high elevator makes a clangety clank commotion all night long? To make matters worse, The Old Lady (who happens to live in a crowded shoe) with her boisterous brood takes up residence on the other side of Hildie’s home. Then,  after yet another disrupted night’s sleep, a Big, Bad Wolf blows off Hildie’s roof instead of the one on another new home belonging to the new pig in town, one Little Pig. In despair, Hildie turns to a realtor rat, Monty, to find her and her cat pal Clawdia new accommodations, only nothing is just right.

In this entertaining and unique story filled with familiar fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters, no spells are cast or potions brewed. But pages will be turned quickly to find out how Hildie solves her sleep dilemma. Young readers will rejoice when Hildie, using a lot of creativity mixed with self-advocacy and cooperation, finally figures out how to have a silent and satisfying night’s sleep.

Chris Ewald’s vibrant artwork will dazzle youngsters who’ll adore his interpretations of an assortment of characters. Remember also to study the illustrations carefully as there are some surprise visitors in this story that are certain to elicit laughter. Between Newman’s humorous and original take on a witch’s quest for quiet and Ewald’s inventive artwork, Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep makes a great addition to your bedtime story collection and is definitely not just for Halloween.

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

 

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