Snoring Beauty

SNORING BEAUTY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen with illustrations by Jane Manning. Harper, 2014.

Will the prince rescue
A snoring beauty? Maybe
With a mouse's help.

Rockabilly Goats Gruff

THE ROCKABILLY GOATS GRUFF by Jeff Crosby. Holiday House, 2014.

Rockabilly goats
Outsmart a troll and live to
Play music again.

Pushing the Envelope

ANN AND NN ARE ANAGRAMS by Mark Shuman and Adam McCauley. Chronicle, 2013.

More than 100 anagrams present readers with puzzles to solve as they enjoy the story of Robert (or Bert) tries to solve all the problems posed by his rather unusual family.

LITTLE READ WRITING by Joan Holub with illustrations by Melissa Sweet. Chronicle, 2013.


Join Little Red as she and the other pencils head to school. Her teacher, Ms. 2, wants all of her students to learn about the craft of writing a story. As Little Red begins her story, there are many twists and turns along the path. This book combines writerly advice with a lovely variant of the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Funke is Fearless

FEARLESS by Cornelia Funke. Books on Tape/Listening Library, 2013. Read by Elliot Hill.

This new entry in the Mirrorworld series begins with Jacob Reckless facing certain death from the Red Fairy. He has only a short amount of time and just a glimmer of hope to find a cure or he will die. And so, he travels back into the world behind the Mirror to tell Fox goodbye. But if Jacob can find an elusive object perhaps all will be well. Trouble is, a Goyl is also seeking the same treasure. Funke sets her roots firmly in the fairy tale traditions with archetypes and motifs but they never take a front seat to the non-stop action and adventure.

Piggies!

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE SOMEHAT BAD WOLF by Mark Teague. Orchard/Scholastic, 2013.

Wolf is not so bad
Is he? Huffing and puffing
Then he faints away.

A Rump Romp

RUMP: THE TRUE STORY OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN by Liesl Shurtliff. Knopf, 2013.

Ever wonder about the story behind Rumplestiltskin? Why did the miller offer his daughter as one able to spin straw into gold? Why did Rumplestiltskin come to her rescue? Shurtliff provides a complicated back story that just might change readers' minds about the events of the fairy tale they think they know well. Meet Rump. His mother never had the chance to speak his full name when he was born. So, Rump he was and has been. The incomplete name basically makes him an incomplete person, too. And so Rump is always searching for his true name. In the meantime, Rump discovers that he has the ability to spin straw into gold. This is NOT a blessing, but a curse. He is beset upon my pixies who show up whenever there is gold nearby. And then there are those greedy individuals who would steal gold from him, too. Enter Red who is there to help him with a visit to her grandmother through the woods. Alert readers will see the roots of Rumplestiltskin as well as nods to other tales as Rump finds his identity and rescues a princess along the way.

Ribbit

FROGGED by Vivian Vande Velde. Harcourt, 2013.


Princess Imogene is approaching her thirteenth birthday. Her other has given her a book about how to be a good princess. Imogene must read it before her birthday, and finds it insufferable. However, when Imogene learns the plight of the frog before her, she knows it is her duty to kiss him and return him to his original human form. Problem is, the frog lied to her. He is not a prince. Worse, she is now a frog and will remain so until she convinces someone to kiss her and then take her place as a frog. How could she do that to another? And so Imogene is off on a journey, trying to figure out what she must do to return to her princess form. The journey will include a stint as a member of a travelling drama group where Imogene will learn some important lessons--better than the ones in her stuffy old book to be sure.

Variations on a theme

IF THE SHOE FITS by Sarah Mlynowski. Scholastic, 2013.

The series is called "Whatever After." In the first book in the series, Abby and Jonah travel through a magic mirror to the land of Snow White. Here, the story involves Cinderella. Abby and Jonah travel through the mirror to a palace where a fancy party is being held. Sure enough, there is Cinderella, but the Prince seems to be interested in someone else. How can that be? Before long, of course, Abby and Jonah's presence have changed the course of the story. Now, it is up to them to set things right. Dropped bricks, clownies, and characters who do not fit into their stereotypes make this a humorous addition to the variants on this story. Be sure to let students know about Grimm, Perrault, and others who have shared versions of Cinderella. Philip Pullman's new book with retellings of Grimm is also a good resource.