Hammill, Elizabeth. Over the Hills and Far Away.

Hammill, Elizabeth.  Over the Hills and Far Away.     Random/Candlewick Press  2014 160p  $21.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7729-9  all ages  Fairy tales  E     

Fairy-tale nursery rhymes have a universality about them that comforts children regardless of their nationality.  Their rhythms, repetitions, and rhymes have a uniqueness that allows them to outlast the more current forms of oral communication.  In the author’s own words, you are invited “to travel on an adventure in language, image, and imagination.  Along the way, you will find new sounds, new sights, new ways with words, new horizons, and a new delight in poetry and art. Share and enjoy.”

This is beautifully compiled collection of unique rhymes that are artfully depicted by a wide variety of illustrators.  The collection touches on various nations around the world and is accompanied by illustrations that reflect the intrinsic nature of the culture.

An index, sources listing, and short biography of each artist is found at the back of the book.

Summary: “A treasury of nursery rhymes collected by Elizabeth Hammill and illustrated by more than seventy celebrated artists.”        

Picture books, Nursery rhymes                               --Linda McNeil

Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist.

Yolen, Jane, and Rebecca Kai Dotlich.  Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist.  Boyd's Mills/Word Song      2013  40p  $16.95  ISBN 978-1-59078-867-7  elem  Fairy tales  E-BN     

This is a delightful collection of poems by two authors who have provided readers with a new twist on the traditional fairy tale.
Readers will be surprised to find that Cinderella was not kept awake by a simple pea but by a tower of mattresses.  To top it off, the pea was upset because he missed his pod and his seven green peers.
    

In another tale, Cinderella boasts that she could have danced all night in almost any shoe but those glass slippers that cut her feet to slivers.  The whining stepsisters, on the other hand, declared that they taught her everything she knows.

In addition to entertaining readers, this book could be used by the creative educator in literature and writing classes.
                 

Summary: This book presents a bewitching brew of poems that present what the fairy-tale characters were really thinking.  Readers are warned to be prepared to be surprised and dazzled, and to beware of magic.  This is a delightful twist on the usual fairy-tale.     

Poetry

Vande Velde, Vivian. Frogged.

Vande Velde, Vivian.  Frogged.  Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace  2013  198p  ISBN 978-0-547-94215-5  ms  Hardback  VG-BN  Fairy tales

Vande Velde has written a lighthearted rendition of The Princess and the Frog in this reworking of the classic fairytale.  Princess Imogene, almost a teenager, is relaxing by the millpond deciding whether or not she lives up the image of a true princess when she is convinced by a talking frog to save him from an evil curse by kissing him.  This is guaranteed to turn him back to a human, but it also turns the unknowing Imogene into a frog.  The curse has been passed from one creature to another, and kindhearted Imogene doesn’t want to continue to spread it if she can avoid it.  She is discovered and carried off by group of itinerant actors who plan to make good use of their talking frog in their show.  As they get further from home, Imogene must convince one of the actors to take her back and help her find a way to return to her true form.  It will be up to Imogene and her frantic mother to figure out how to effect the exchange without continuing the curse.  All’s well that ends well in this fine addition to the canon of fractured fairytales.  This book will be a very good addition to any middle-school library. 

Summary: Vande Velde has written a lighthearted rendition of The Princess and the Frog in this reworking of the classic fairytale. 

Fairy tales                                                       --Susan Ogintz

Bach, Shelby. Of Giants and Ice.

Bach, Shelby.  Of Giants and Ice.   Simon & Schuster  352p  $15.99      978-1-4424-3146-1 ms          VG-BN      

Rory Landon, the daughter of a divorced movie-star mother and a director father, is starting the year at yet another school.  And, once again, there has to be something for her to do after school.  When the Ever After School, a new program, begins, she jumps at the chance to be in a place where her parents are unknown.  She discovers that all is not quite as it seems when she encounters a fire-breathing dragon on her first day.  As time passes, she finds more and more links to the world found in classic fairy tales.  The other students in the program are “characters in training,” waiting for a chance to fulfill their destinies.  Rory is chosen to accompany her best friend Lena and Chase, the son of Jack of beanstalk fame.  They must climb the magic beanstalk and rescue the golden harp from danger.

 
This is the first book in the Ever After series, and it will have readers breathlessly awaiting the sequel.  The characters are intriguing, the plot exciting, and it is filled with traditional fairy tale characters in unusual positions.  The book does a very good job of melding everyday middle-school life with that of the classic stories for a fun read that will entice readers into further investigations of the iconic tales.  It is highly recommended for middle-school libraries.   -- Susan Ogintz 

Fairy tales – Fiction, Fantasy – Fiction          

The Leprechaun Under the Bed

Bateman, Teresa   The Leprechaun Under the Bed   

Holiday House     2012  unp   $16.95      978-0-8234-2221-0   VG    elem        Fantasy    

Geared toward elementary school students, this easy-fiction title introduces students to Sean MacDonald, a hard-working man who owns a farm in Ireland.  On his farm, he has built a stone cottage over the home of Brian O’Shea (a leprechaun), beneath the ground.  Since Brian does not like having a stone cottage over his home, he tries to stop Sean through leprechaun magic.  When the magic doesn't work, Brian builds a surprise door under Sean’s bed.  Brian doesn't wish to be discovered, and makes Sean believe there is a cat living under his bed who makes noise.  When Sean starts occasionally to leave food under his bed to feed this cat, he begins to discover gold coins that have been left there in return.  People in the poor village start to whisper when he uses the gold coins to purchase food.  Two robbers catch wind of the coins and attempt to steal coins from Sean.  When Brian hears the commotion, he fears for Sean’s safety and tricks the robbers into looking under the bed.  The robbers see a wildcat, and they flee.  Without knowing each other, Brian and Sean have formed an alliance, and they live for the rest of their days happily together.

This book includes beautiful, colorful illustrations and easy-to-read text.  Since this title is already listed in Accelerated Reader, those schools who participate in the program will be able to have students take quiz #149718.
         Charleen Forba-Mayer  Leprechauns--Fiction, Fairy tales

 

Turgeon, Carolyn. Mermaid.

Turgeon, Carolyn.  Mermaid.   Broadway Books see Random, 2011.  240p.   $16.00 ISBN 9780307589972     jr/sr E-BN  Fairy Tale     

     Lenia the mermaid saves the Prince of the South from drowning and places him at the feet of the Princess of the North. The princess mistakenly believes it is a gift from the mermaid and that this young prince is meant for her.   It is Lenia’s 18th birthday and it is her turn to go above and experience the world above the sea and spend time with the people who live on the land. On her way up from the bottom of the ocean, she experiences a little bit of turbulence and she investigates. It is a terrible sea storm and it has destroyed a ship full of men. One of them falls into the water near Lenia and she swims to help him. He almost drowns, and he will need help from the land.  Lenia decides to help him. As she holds him in her arms and swims to shore, she has the opportunity to observe him and she falls in love with him.
     She leaves him on the beach and spots another girl. She communicates telepathically that he needs help and moves back into the water.  Lenia waits until the man is rescued and then turns to go home with determination in her heart. She must find a way to go above and win his heart, no matter the cost.
Lenia decides to give up her sea life, even if it means leaving her whole family behind. She strikes a bargain with the Sea Witch, but the price she has paid is even more dire than she can imagine.
     It is the basic "Little Mermaid" story, but then it takes an adult look at the relationship between the mermaid, the prince and the princess.  This is a story you will want to read.             

Subject: Mermaids -- Fiction.  2. Princesses -- Fiction

Magna Diaz

 

George, Jessica Day. Princess of Glass

George, Jessica Day Princess of Glass.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2010 257p 16.99
978-1-59990-478-8 ms Fairy tales VG


Princess Poppy has survived the curse of the dancing slippers and, since the magic is no longer holding her family in thrall, she is sent to neighboring Breton and Seadown House to enjoy herself as she wished only to fall afoul of the evil witch Corley again. Princess Poppy has survived the curse of the dancing slippers and, since the magic is no longer holding her family in thrall, she is sent to neighboring Breton and Seadown House to enjoy herself as she wished. While there, she becomes close friends with Marianne, daughter of her hosts. When, in the traditions of the Empire of Ionia, the heirs to each province’s throne are sent to others to foster better relations and, perhaps, marriages, things begin to become much more difficult. Poppy has become interested in Christian, the Crowne Prince of Danelaw. However, following the traditions of Cinderella, the young servant girl Ellen has been seduced by the plans of the evil witch Corley and promised the Prince’s hand. Ellen had been the daughter of a noble who was beggared by gambling debts and was now a poor and very ineffectual servant. The Corley will, through her magic, make sure that Christian marries Ellen, destroy Poppy and her friends, and rule the kingdoms in their names. It will take all of Poppy’s magical knowledge and strength to bring the story to a successful conclusion for all. This is not simply a retelling of a fairy tale but a sprightly written and exciting adventure. It offers witty dialogue, appealing characters, and a convoluted plot that will entice readers to search out similar books. Fairytale Ogintz, Susan

The Wide-Awake Princess

Baker, E.D. The Wide-Awake Princess
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2010 261p 16.99
978-1-59990-487-0 ms Fairytale VG-BN

“ Annie, younger sister of the princess who would be known as Sleeping Beauty, is immune to magic and stays awake when the rest of the castle falls into an enchanted sleep, then sets out to find a way to break the spell.”
Written for middle school or very upper elementary readers readers, The Wide Awake Princess will be a welcome addition to a library’s collection. Fans of the author and of the “The Frog Princess” will be delighted to read this version of Sleeping Beauty, but told from the point of Princess Annabelle (Annie), the younger sister who is not sleeping. In this title, older sister Princess Gwendolyn (Gwen) get her hands on a spinning wheel and pricks her finger on her 16th birthday and the kingdom sleeps for the 100 years curse and that is set into motion. The entire castle is put to sleep except for Annie, since a fairy gave her a blessing and made her immune to any magic and any magic that shall touch her would not bring her any harm. Since Annie was the only one in the castle who was awake and not affected by the curse, she embarks on a search for her sister’s true love and to ultimately end the 100 years old curse. Annie’s mission was to find Gwen’s true love, she sends every prince she meets to the castle in order to locate her true prince. Even though Annie is searching for Gwen’s prince, she begins to have a crush on her bodyguard companion, Liam. Readers will enjoy reading of Annie’s encounters with Hansel and Gretel, dancing fairies, Rapunzel, and others. Filled with adventure happy endings, and some romance, readers will wonder if both Princess Gwen and Princess Annie will marry their true love.
Would make a great addition to a library’s collection for middle and upper elementary schools. Forba-Mayer(2)Charleen
Fairy tales.

Tomlinson, Heather Toads and Diamonds

Tomlinson, Heather Toads and Diamonds
Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2010 276p 16.99
978-0-8050-8968-4 elem Fairytale E-BN
A fairy tale of two Middle Eastern sisters gifted with very different gifts that will send them on a quest to discover their destiny, the way their country is ruled and to find their true love.
Diribani and Tana are half sister who love each very much. Tana’s mother has been like a mother to Diribani. They lived in relative comfort until her father died. Together, Diribani and Tana are able to help put food on the table but they both know it is only a question of time before a cousin throw them out of their home.
One day Diribani went to get water at the well when she encountered an old woman asking for water to drink. She gave it willingly and with kindness. For this she was gifted with the gift of jewels and flowers when she spoke. She encouraged her sister Tana to go and see if she too could get a gift but when Tana went something went very wrong because she too got a gift but hers was snakes and frog that came out of her mouth when she spoke. Their destiny took different routes from that moment and each was sent on quest that had to be fulfilled. On the road to discovery each girl would need to learn knew skills, listen carefully and adopt to knew believes and face great dangers. Their reward was not known and they felt they might end up alone. Destiny however has a way of taking it’s own route. Diaz(1), Magna Stories in rhyme - Eccentrics and eccentricities

Collodi, Carlo. Pinocchio.

Collodi, Carlo. Pinocchio.
Stone Arch see Capstone 2010 72p 18.95 978-1-4342-1583-3 elm/ms
Graphic Revolve: Children’s Classics (Stone Arch)
A well known tale by Carlo Collodi retold and illustrated in the graphic format. Martin Powell has retold Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi in graphic style. Her choice of wording is apropos to the story as well as the age group. Readers will enjoy the intermingling of words and graphics as they progress through the book. The illustrator, Alfonso Ruiz, has created soft yet dynamic watercolors to accompany the text. The bright dynamic palette of colors effectively relates the context of the storyline in the story and present the reader with a very entrancing experience. This is a great book for young readers and non-readers. It’s dense bright watercolors will engage the active minds of young children and young readers. The format and layout of the book is beautifully placed for the most effective enjoyment of the readers. The additional materials at the back of the book is a plus for teachers and parents. McNeil, Linda