Skip to main content

Five Faves: Fractured Fairy Tale Picture Books

By

 Fairy tales have been loved for centuries throughout the world. But what happens when someone takes one of these old classics and turns it on its head? This list contains some of my favorite picture books that do just that. These protagonists decide to choose a different path forward than the one laid out for them, which makes them potentially chaotic but oh so fun!

Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu
Written by Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrated by Crystal Kung
New York: Rocky Ponds Books, 2024. Picture Book.

In this twist on the story of Rapunzel, rather than being imprisoned in a tower by a witch, Ra Pu Zel locks herself in a tower after tiring of being told what to do. While in the tower she cultivates her talents, among them cooking and music. After hearing the music and smelling the delicious food, men from near and far arrive to try to coax the princess from the tower. Despite many men trying to win her affections, the princess doesn't leave until smelling the stench of stinky tofu. She meets the young man who was pushing the stinky tofu cart and tries the delicacy, which then becomes one of the most well-known dishes in China. Those who are looking for a princess who is ready to take charge of her fate will find a lot to like in this tale.

The Three Little Tardigrades
By Sandra Fay
New York: Godwin Books, Henry Holt & Company, 2024. Picture Book.

In this reimagining of the three little pigs, a mama tardigrade (also called moss piglets, these are micro animals) tells her kids that it's time for them to explore on their own and look for a new home away from the nest. Before they leave, she warns them of the big bad wolf spider that may come to eat them. The brothers split up, going to an erupting volcano, an ice cave, and the moon. Kids will learn STEM concepts while listening to a familiar tale, with a twist ending that they won't see coming! 

Endlessly Ever After
Written by Laurel Snyder
Illustrated by Dan Santat
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022. Picture Book.

Have you ever wished that you were living inside of a fairy tale? Now's your chance! In this choose-your-own-adventure-style story, you get do decide which path to take. Should you wear your red hood or your faux fur coat? Should you share grandma's cake with the dwarves and sleeping Snow White? Are you going to walk right past the candy house or take a nibble? You get to help Rosie through a seemingly unlimited supply of endings as you make decisions that will lead her to friendship or peril.

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf
Written by Craig Barr-Green
Illustrated by Francis Martin
Tulsa, OK: Kane Miller, a division of EDC Publishing, 2024. Picture Book.

When Gina Kaminski, a neurodivergent child who expresses her emotions using a feelings chart, hears the story of Little Red Riding Hood the ending makes her feel 😣. She notices that the girl and wolf made three big mistakes, so she travels to fairy-tale land to set about correcting them. After eating her grandmother's cake and sticking to the main road instead of going through a shortcut in the forest, Gina helps the wolf escape into a different book when the mean huntsman comes after him. This book is a great way to bring up neurodivergence or feelings in an accessible way that kids will love. They may even try to re-write some fairy tales of their own!

The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea
By Leigh Hodgkinson
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book.

In this book, reminiscent of the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, a greedy pea gobbles up everything in its path. After eating through many meals worth of food, he lays down to sleep, only to be met by the fate expected of him in The Princess and the Pea. Young kids will love the rhyming, musical text and older kids will sit at the edge of their seats waiting for the pea's demise. 

 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

By DeeDee
Stand Tall By Siena Siegel by Joan Bauer Putnam, 2002, 182 pgs Realistic Fiction Tree is 12 years old and over 6 feet tall. That would be great if he were a basketball player, but he is not. Dealing with his unusual size is not Tree's only challenge. Tree's parents have recently gone through a divorce, and his grandfather has had his leg amputated as the result of an old Vietnam War injury. The strength of this book is the characterizations. All of the main characters are dimensional and sympathetic. Bauer sets the characters in real and often funny family situations. Best of all is the character of Tree. He is boy with a heart to match his stature. This is a great book for boys or girls ages 9-12, as a read aloud or for individual reading. This book could also be a good Rx book for children whose families are going through divorce, or for anyone who feels like they don't fit in.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The New Girl

By
The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

By
  Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...
Post a Comment
Read more