Remember Nursery Rhyme Comics?

Fairy Tale Comics edited by Chris Duffy

From familiar tales with a new twist to old tales you've never discovered, Fairy Tale Comics gathers new interpretations of fairy tales from around the world. The list of contributors is studded with stars from both adult and children's comics. Highlights include Luke Pearson's “The Boy Who Drew Cats,” and Jillian Tamaki's “Baba Yaga.” I also love the palette of Emily Carroll's "Twelve Dancing Princesses"! Editor Chis Duffy has done a magnificent job of selecting illustrators with a range of styles, making each new story a delightfully fresh surprise. Pick this up to read the illustrator you love, and stay to discover someone new. 

A Fabulous Illustrated Book for All Ages

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David Almond and Dave McKean

In a new world a bit like ours lives Ben, Harry, and Sue. One day, while they're playing, they look into themselves and find new, interesting animals. Using sticks and grass and clay, they make their creatures and give them life, much as the gods do above them. A small mouse, a beautiful bird, and a slithering snake have now come to the world. But instead of stopping to rest like the gods, Harry and Sue find within themselves a large, hairy, wolfish thing. A growling, howling, wolfy wolf. Despite Ben's protestations, they make it and as soon a it's begun to run and howl, they are gobbled up. 

Almond's story feels like a classic creation tale, with all the light and darkness, innocence and experience you might expect. The tale is timeless and McKean's illustrations capture the full range and scope of the story. A dark and timeless tale at once cautionary and inspiring. Perfect for recent graduates of all ages!

If you're a bookseller, put this on your graduation table! 

Lunar Chronicles, Book 2

 
 
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Macmillan, February 5, 2013
The sequel to the best-selling Cinder, Scarlet finds Cinder trying to escape the Commonwealth's prison. Meanwhile, in France, Scarlet is searching for her grandmother, who recently disappeared. Scarlet (who always wears a red hoodie) runs into Wolf, a street fighter who may have information about her grandmother. Intent on rescuing her grandmother, Scarlet travels to Paris with Wolf and romance blossoms along the way. Cinder and Scarlet's stories gradually weave together as the stakes continue to rise.  Together, Cinder and Scarlet will have to work to thwart the Lunar Queen Levana, who is more devious than they thought, in order to save the Earth and Emperor Kai. Those who loved Cinder will devour Scarlet and howl for more. 

*My fantastic Macmillan rep, Bob, ran this ARC over to me the day he received it-- and he wasn't even back from vacation until the following day. I finished the book a few days later (this was back in July). But it just goes to show how amazing publisher reps can be.

The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse

by Helen Ward
Helen Ward sets her retelling of the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse in 1930s New York City during Christmas. While this is an interesting variation, it is Helen's illustrations that make the book a masterpiece. Exquisite details, interesting mouse-eye views, and vibrant colors can be found on every page. These breath-taking illustrations make Helen Ward's retelling worthy of any child's library.

Fun fairytale twist

Goldilocks & Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
In this fun, fresh twist on Goldilocks, Little Bear, now grown, finds himself in the Big City. Escaping the bustle and noise, Little Bear finds his way into an apartment where he tries to find something just right to eat and a comfy place to sleep. When he wakes up, the golden-haired family has returned-- and one of them looks familiar... Leigh Hodgkinson's picture book is an absolute delight perfect for storytimes.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz
Bloody, tragic, and dark...fairy tales shouldn't be bedtime stories. As with A Tale Dark & Grimm, Adam Gidwitz has borrowed from numerous fairy tales, threading the dark and dangerous aspects together to form a brand new story. Jack and Jill are cousins and while they do go up a hill, they also climb a magic beanstalk and hang out with a talking frog. With a snarky narrator and a fairytale moral, In a Glass Grimmly is sure to entice reluctant readers and thrill those who know their fairy tales.

A True Fairy Story

The Fairy Ring or Elsie and Frances Fool the World (a true story)
by Mary Losure
In the 1900s, Elsie and her cousin Frances photographed fairies in the beck behind their house. Adults were astonished by the photographs, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believed the fairies in the photos must be real. But were they? Or were Elsie and Frances altering the photos? With references to letters, personal accounts, and containing reproductions of the fairy photographs, Mary Losure presents Elsie and Frances' story in an accurate and accessible way. For those who love fantastical fairy stories, The Fairy Ring is a fascinating introduction to non-fiction, not to mention a fun read if you love fooling adults.

Fale Apologies

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems
by Gail Carson Levine, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Gail Carson Levine takes William Carlos Williams' poem This is Just to Say and runs with it. Following Williams' format and intent, each poem details what was done, asks for forgiveness, but then offers up a mischievous twist. From false apologies by Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother, and other fairytale characters to apology poems for friends, enemies, and readers, there's something to make everyone giggle. Levine's intro (note: you will not find this at the beginning of the book) explains how she used Williams' poem, making the book a wonderful find for budding poets and teachers alike.

Dark Fairytales

Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge, illustrated by Andrea Dezso
Candlewick, July 2012

Dark, twisted, strange, and eerie, too often now our fairy tales are anything but this. But Ron Koertge instills his retellings with the fear, danger, and darkness of the originals. His Little Match Girl is a contemporary child, her story gritty and chilling. Hansel and Gretel are not nice children, and have become paranoid after their adventure in the woods. The Princess tells us of life after being bruised by a pea, imagining the marks a simple hand or kiss will leave. Andrea Dezso's intricate paper cut illustrations accompany the stories and capture the unsettling nature of Koertge's text. This frightening book is a Tale Dark and Grimm for adults and teens, and a stunning gift for lovers of fairy tales.

Annotations part 1

I've just finished up a class on sci-fi and fantasy in children's literature. For the final, I wrote up a number of annotations. Some of these were for books I'd been planing to read, others were books I selected from a list simply because I had never read them before. There a ten books total, so I'll be dividing them up into four posts and the books will be listed in the order I read them (because why not).

Savvy

Ingrid Law. New York, NY: Penguin (2008).

When Mibs turns thirteen she will discover her Savvy, or magical talent, and she's certain it will be something great. But when her poppa ends up in an accident, all Mibs wants is a Savvy to cure her father- and she'll do anything to get to the hospital where he's held. This road-trip adventure is more than a magical coming-of-age story as Mibs and her companions come to realize that even non-magical people have a Savvy-like talent. With tall-tales and mid-western flavor, Savvy is an American immersive fantasy.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making

Catherynne M. Valente. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends (2011).

One day September is whisked away from her normal life in Omaha by the Green Wind, who takes her to Fairyland. With the help of some strange magical creatures, September must find a way to stop the bossy Marquess, who rules Fairyland with an iron fist. September's quest follows the format of a classic hero's journey. While Valente references touchstones of children's portal fantasy in her text, her world and characters are unique creations.

Witches and fairy stories

Chime by Franny Billingsley

In a town that burns witches, Briony has a secret: she’s a witch. She caused her stepmother’s death, her twin sister’s injury, and the flooding and burning of her family’s library. When a young man comes to stay with her family, he makes her desperately wish that she were an ordinary girl, an ordinary girl who can love and cry. But as Briony tells us in the first line of her story, “I’ve confessed to everything and I’d like to be hanged. Now, if you please.” This dark, romantic mystery reveals the strength of belief in a tale readers of Holly Black will swallow.

With a "Snow Queen" twist...

Breadcrumbs
by Anne Ursu
HarperCollins, September 27th, 2011

Sometimes, you need a nice, satisfying stand alone novel. Breadcrumbs is just that. The first half of the book is the story of new schools, old friends, and changes. Hazel's best friend Jack has been growing distant from her, trying to balance his time between her and his male friends from school. Hazel is trying to fit in a new school where everything is different. She's frustrated, confused, and wants things to be the way they were. Ursu is kind to all her characters, as there is a reason for everyone's choices, feelings, and desires. Her handling of the subject matter is reminiscent of Stead's When You Reach Me, and Ursu is deserving of the comparison. When Jack stops speaking to Hazel altogether and then disappears, Hazel is the only one who realizes that something is truly wrong. Hazel heads off to the snowy woods after Jack, seeking the snow queen and her best friend in a fantastical adventure inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen."

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

October 25th, 2011
by Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket (introduction), and Chris Van Allsburg.

Very very rarely, I will swoon over a book. Swoon-worthy books must not just be well-written, they have to be beautifully packed, or have exquisite illustration, mostly, all three. Four stories into The Chronicles of Harris Burdick I was already swooning. Mind you, this is the ARC, too, not the gorgeous hardcover that will be the best holiday gift when it hits shelves.

What strikes me as I read- one story at a time, with space between each to savor- is the inventiveness of the writers. Van Allsburg's illustrations are surrealistically magical drawings, but they are snap shots. The ability to see the past, future, and alternative presents hinted at in these illustrations is an amazing imaginative feat.

Strangely enough, they now have my mind turning to Lev Grossman's The Magicians. There is a kinship here, I think. Both loved, enjoyed, and familiar, yet strange, surreal delights. Not matter how many times one sees a Van Allsburg drawing or reads a Lev Grossman novel, they will be strange and mysterious, even if you feel, as I do, that you somehow know them, even during the first reading.

From a darkly humorous story by Jon Scieszka to the fearful hint of magical oddness in Stephen King's, The Chroicles of Harris Burdick will leave readers spellbound. Adults who remember writing their own Harris Burdick stories and readers ages 10 and up will enjoy the strange magic of the tales. In a collection featuring such incredible authors as this, it will be difficult to choose a favorite.

Grimm & Grimmer

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

This story doesn’t start with Hansel and Gretel, but it is about them. And, as the narrator will warn you, this is a dark an bloody tale not suited for young children, but closer to the original stories than any silly kiddie movies might be. Gidwitz strings a number of Grimm’s stories together, each featuring Hansel and Gretel. Despite the darkness and the blood, this is a fun book, the narrator’s warnings adding humor to the tale. I love remixed fairy tales, but instead of changing the setting or reversing gender roles (as one usually sees) Gidwitz has found a successful new way to retell the tales.

A fabulous combination of humor and tragedy, A Tale Dark and Grimm is precisely what it says it is. Ages 9 and up. –Marika

WAMC Book Picks

Listen to Emily Crowe and myself talking about books on WAMC's Round Table.

Books I mention:
Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems
Odious Ogre by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon
Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
Shadow by Suzy Lee
Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

It's very strange to listen to yourself.

Middle Reader Princess Stories

I've been writing up some blurbs for work and thought I'd share them, if just to remind you of older books that are worth grabbing. And not only are they magnificent (and make super kids' book club selections) but they're in paperback!
Just Ella
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Out of the reams of Cinderella stories, my very favorite is Just Ella.
Ella, as Prince Charming’s betrothed, is living at the castle, being educated as befits a princess. But being a servant allowed her more freedom than the role of princess and Ella soon finds herself confined in the dungeons. Though Ella now looks like a princess, she remains a strong, independent young woman. She decides to escape once and for all, determined to create her own place in the world, one free of the constraints of others. 3rd grade plus.
Dealing with Dragons
By Patricia C. Wrede
There are much more interesting things than needlepoint, genealogy, and etiquette, like magic, cooking, and fencing. But Princess Cimorene’s parents have forbidden her to do anything interesting and have decided to marry her off to a boring prince. So Cimorene does the only sensible thing, taking the advice of a frog, she runs away to live with dragons. This book is full of adventure and humor and is a wonderful read-aloud for children 5 & up.

Not Your Usual Fairy Tale

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
published November 2010 from Razorbill (Penguin)

By now you may have learned that I enjoy retold fairy tales. So when I saw that Dust City was narrated by the Big Bad Wolf's son, I had to pick it up. Think the Outsiders with a Fables twist.

With his dad in prison for the Little Red Riding Hood murder, Henry Whelp knew he was going to end up in trouble some time. But juvie isn't so bad until his shrink is murdered and he finds a file containing letters from his father. It turns out the "dust" (as in fairy) that everyone takes, from over-the-counter for headaches to the serious stuff dealt in back alleys, isn't what it seems. With the assistance of a klepto named Jack (and his magic beans) and the brave wolf Fiona, Henry escapes his prison, setting out to figure out where fairy godmothers have gone, as well as their so-called happily-ever-afters.

Weston's book is dark, gritty, and violent, but stands out from many on the YA shelf with it's fairy-tale inspired twist. Fairy tales were always scary, but Weston updates the issues and ideas, creating a gritty novel that will resonate with today's teens.

A Cinderella Story

There have been many retellings of Cinderella, from Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted to Margaret Peterson Haddix's Just Ella. Malinda Lo's Ash is an entirely new take on Perrault's tale. Lo's bisexual twist makes this already wonderful teen novel into something no library should be without.

Ash grows grows up reading fairy tales, which her father says are just stories. When her father dies and her stepmother sets her to work, Ash dreams of escaping into the land of faerie, a place she knows is real. When Ash meets the faerie Sidhean, she learns that her wish may finally be granted. Meanwhile, Ash's walks in the woods bring her to forge a friendship with the King's Huntress. As their friendship grows, Ash comes to the realization that perhaps love can exist in the human realm. But Ash has already promised Sidhean that she will return to faerie, and she must choose between the possibility of love and the ethereal perfection of faerie.

Mirrorscape

I think you have to be a certain type of person to read books about the visual as so much depends upon the the imagination of the reader. Mike Wilkes' Mirrorscape requires of those readers.

Melkin Womper, a boy from a small town, is scooped up by Ambrosius Blenk, the greatest painter of the day, and given an apprenticeship. But things are not as rosy as they seem. Color, music, delicious food, anything which might be considered a luxury is extremely expensive and controlled by the Mysteries, and the Mysteries hold many secrets and much corruption. Mel and his friends Wren and Ludo find themselves in the thick of Mystery secrets in an adventure that will bring them into the Mirrorscape- the world within paintings.

Wilkes' book is heavy with description, detailing paintings, drawings, and bestiary illustrations. For readers unfamiliar with art, the book may be confusing, and I suggest looking at examples of medieval bestiary reproductions, Bosch paintings, and an Escher or two before delving into the book. Some of the creatures and environments within the Mirrorscape are confusing, as they are only elucidated with words. Seeing artworks beforehand may spark the reader's mind as s/he imagines Mel's world.

Mirrorscape is the first in a series that promises to mix magic with the visual arts. But it's not the fast-paced plot many readers are used to. Yes, the plot is thick with devilry, but simple resolutions are a long time coming. In places, vital descriptions trip up the adventure like disproportionate figures in a beautifully realized setting. Though the book is suggested for those twelve and up, and the character of Mel is about this age, the density of description recommend it for an older audience or a particularly patient reader.

After reading Mirrorscape, I got to thinking about stories that are intrinsically visual. I read A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book while independently studying art in Europe. I became lost in Byatt's descriptions of art and the creative process, and began trying to describe my creative process. Byatt captured something in her descriptions of the power and energy an artist thrusts into his/her work, something I don't realize until I've stopped working and view the unfamiliar work in front of me through the haze of hunger and watering eyes. The only other story that came to mind is the Chinese myth of the magic paintbrush, though I think Patricia McKillip may have an embroidery-based fairy tale. It's certainly a topic I'd like to look into further.

Fairies and fairy tales (briefly)

Author Patricia McKillip came up in a book discussion with a friend of mine. We both enjoy McKillip's work and were discussing it's unique flavor.

The best way I can describe this is the classic fairy tale quality of McKillip's work. This is not due to her acknowledgment of fairytales, but in the very nature of her characters. Immortals and fairies are not human. In McKillip's non-mortal characters, there is a definate disconnet with emotion, a tendency to see only lusts and desires. Even her human character lack certain aspects of humanity; they are lost in the haze of the story, removed from even the setting's 'normal' or 'real' world, just the way heroes, heroines, princes, and queens are in stories.

After discussing characters I (being an innately visual person) moved on to visuals. The descriptions in McKillip's novels are detailed, intricate, finely woven like a tapestry or illuminated manuscript. They weave a detailed story, yet one that leaves you with the haze of a dream. A number of McKillip's books feature covers illustrated by Kinuko Craft. Craft's obsessively detailed paintings are perfect (in my mind) for McKillip's work, mirroring her connection to classic fairy tales and medieval artworks.

McKillip's characterizations of fairy make me think of Susanna Clarke, author of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and The Ladies of Grace Adieu. Clarke's fairies are devious, lustful creatures. You cannot apply human reason to them for they are not human. Her fairies want to feed their lusts, with out consideration for anyone- mortals nor fair folk. With this, Clarke creates a classically mythic, darkly pretty, and undeniably other world of fairy.

For those of you unwilling or thus far unable to delve into Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, try Clarke's collection of short stories: The Ladies of Grace Adieu. The hardcover is beautifully packaged, bound with grey bookcloth. Or try the audio recording. Short stories are great in audio form, as you don't need such long periods to listen (fit one in a long commute). Also, the British vocal talents of Davina Porter and Simon Prebble are wonderful to listen to (as is Prebble's audio recording of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell).

This post was brought to you by the combined powers of the audio version of The Ladies of Grace Adieu and a library book sale copy of The Changeling Sea.

Any other comments on faerie? Or books you think do a nice job at portraying the darker aspects of faerie? I haven't read much Charles de Lint, but I think he may...