Enticingly illustrated reinterpretations of timeless tales.
Kinder, gentler folktale retellings.
Mortimer removes much of these stories’ cruelty and all coded sexual references. Evil stepmothers have vanished, but the witches remain. Hansel and Gretel’s loving parents take them into the woods to forage; the children become lost when they wander off. After Cinderella’s older sisters (not stepsisters) mistreat her, her fairy godmother gives her three lush silk gowns; the slipper appears almost as an afterthought. The Frog Prince merely sleeps on a cushion next to the bed of a young duchess and awakens with the spell broken. The wolf shoves Red Riding Hood’s grandmother into a wardrobe rather than swallowing her, and he’s decked by a vase and scared off, not slain. Rapunzel’s adopted mother doesn’t push the prince from the tower; he stumbles and falls. The evil fairy puts Sleeping Beauty to sleep on her 12th birthday, not her 16th, and the prince kisses her on the cheek. Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen” and “Ugly Duckling” are likewise sensitively abridged. Mortimer’s restrained prose is eloquent but not obscure. Barouch sets her illustrations of cottages and charming figures (who vary in skin tone) amid van de Goor’s stunning photos of nature and ruins—the eye-catching focus here. Purists might mourn the changes to the source material, but the alluringly romantic artwork will please readers.
Enticingly illustrated reinterpretations of timeless tales. (Folklore. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781419786679
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Magic Cat
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers.
Get comfy! This storyteller has just the right tale.
A beige-skinned elflike protagonist sits in the dark by a small fire and invites readers to listen to “THE GREATEST BEDTIME STORY EVER.” Quickly, we flash back to a scene of the elf, in pursuit of literary inspiration, foolishly following an eerie sound to a cave. There, our hero meets a fire-breathing dragon who is unable to sleep without a snack. Fearing the worst (the dragon is eyeing the elf hungrily), the elf offers to tell a bedtime story instead. After the narrator writes and illustrates a story and then reads it aloud, the dragon falls asleep. On the verge of escape, the storyteller suddenly comes to a horrible realization: “I had left behind the Greatest Bedtime Story Ever!” Returning for it, the protagonist steps on a bone, awakens the dragon, and is devoured by the creature. We never do learn what was in the tale told to the dragon, but the one the elf relates is absorbing, an entertaining metafictional riff on the challenges of storytelling. The abrupt conclusion may disturb more sensitive youngsters, but many will find it great fun—they’ll enjoy rereads knowing that the protagonist is narrating from the belly of the beast. Sima’s appealing digital art slyly alternates sweetness (the dragon clutching a plush toy while listening to the story) with tension and even scares (a close-up of that toothy dragon maw).
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781665974523
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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