From the elegantly addled brain of the author who brought us not only Wicked but haunted hairdos and stupid cupids, come eight deeply and profoundly silly stories. They have been twisted, turned inside-out, and re-imagined, so while they remain recognizable, their animal cast is only the beginning of their metamorphosis. Puns, literary and political references, wordplay, and sly wisdom abound. Children will be screaming with laughter, no matter if they get it or not, and adults will be convulsed. Take, for example, Hamster and Gerbil, the adopted children of the Beavers. When Papa Beaver is widowed and marries a Skunk who leaves the children in the woods, they find a delicious house made of lettuce and hollow steak bones, but the old porcupine inside has other plans for the children involving an oven. There’s no way to summarize the high hilarity of “So What and the Seven Giraffes” or “Little Red Robin Hood” and “Rumplesnakeskin” should be read carefully, with no liquid refreshment in hand or mouth. Dizzyingly funny. (Fractured fairy tales. 8-12)
