Andrew Lang (Hesperus Press) To round up a focus on fairy-tales, I just wanted to mention Hesperus Press’ wonderful new editions of Andrew Lang’s The Red Fairy Book and The Blue Fairy Book. Lang (with the help of his wife who did much of the translating) rewrote tales from all over the world, presenting an …
Sally Gardner, with artwork by David Roberts (Indigo, an imprint of Orion Children’s Books) Otto has been a soldier for most of his life, and tired of war and wounded, he nonetheless makes a final stand by defying Death. His escape takes him to a dark world of magic, mystery and blood-thirsty beasts. He also …
Noel Daniel (editor) & Jean Hersholt (translator) (Taschen) Last year, as part of the Brothers Grimm’s bicentenary anniversary, I reviewed the most sumptuous fairy-tale Grimm collection, The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, published by Taschen. They have now released a similar tome devoted to Hans Christian’s Andersen’s most famous tales, and it is just as exquisite. …
The Good Little Devil and Other Tales Pierre Gripari, with illustrations by Puig Rosado Le gentil petit diable et autres contes de la rue Broca, translated by Sophie Lewis (Pushkin Children’s Books) A French classic from the 1960s, this collection of thirteen eccentric short stories taps into our cultural heritage of fairy and folk tales and offers …
This week is National Bookstart Week. Bookstart is extremely close to my heart (I have mentioned this before, notably in a major rant here) and such an vital scheme in encouraging a love of books and reading in children that I feel that anyone who is any kind of children’s book enthusiast should all be duty-bound to support. The …
Mario Ramos“C’est moi le plus fort”, translated by Jean Anderson(Gecko Press) A rather conceited wolf decides after his lunch to wander through the forest for a bit of an ego polishing exercise. Each small creature he comes across is accosted and bullied into tell him that yes, indeed, he is the strongest creature in the …
Jane Ray(Walker Books) Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and her misfortunes. This new pop-up edition is definitely one to treasure. In Cinderella, Jane Ray uses the technique of layered cut papers to create six three-dimensional theatrical scenes, and the result is striking. Her elegant drawings convey the right atmosphere, and the amount of detail in each scene …
Allan Ahlberg (text) & Jessica Ahlberg (illustrations)(Walker Books) We all know what happened to Goldilocks met the three bears and how that story ends. But what happens when she meets a very large family of thirty-three bears, or in the future when she meets some rather friendly looking space aliens? And how about when she …
With the 200th anniversary of the first edition of the Brothers Grimm tales being celebrated this year, there are have been a lot of editions of their takes published in 2012, and it would have been impossible to review them all. However, here are three further editions which I wish I could get my hands …
Noel Daniel (editor) & Matthew P. Price (translator)(Taschen) Twenty seven tales are brought to life in this cloth bound collection published in honour of the bicentenary of the Grimms’ Tales. The collection includes all-time favourites such as Cinderella, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots, and the translation of these tales is based …
