Fooling Around With Folktales

There is no end to the publishing possibilities of folktales. Each year brings newly illustrated editions of well-loved tales such as “The Little Red Hen” or “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Even though these traditional tales have been around for eons, there are always fresh ways to present them.

Along with newly illustrated offerings come a plethora of stories that fool with folktales. Some vary the setting, placing familiar characters in different surroundings. Some play with points of view, while others find humor in an old tale twisted and turned. Finally, some longer retellings take a pithy tale and embellish it with detail, background, settings, and richly realized characters. These lengthier stories develop the main character’s self-discovery, self-deception, and his or her relationship to the world and its truths.

Re-realized or clever retellings not only bring new life to the old stories; they often also send readers back to clarify what exactly the “old story” was. For younger readers, the idea that you can play with a story may be new, and they take delight in seeing a gingerbread man run the arroyos of Arizona, the city streets of New York, or a footpath in Appalachia. Additionally, older reluctant readers might be more apt to tolerate longer text if a recognizable plotline paves the way.

So here are four groups of folktales with a heavy sprinkling of fairy-tale favorites, many newly published and all presented with a satisfying measure of happily ever afters, moral comeuppance, magic, and whimsy.

ANDERSEN, Hans Christian. The Tinderbox. retold by Stephen Mitchell. illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick. 2007. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2078-3.

Gr 2-5–A soldier’s greed and impetuous actions allow him to acquire three large-eyed dogs to do his bidding. Selfish actions tempered with generosity and a final violent but “happy” ending may raise plenty of questions about morality among literal readers. Pen-and-ink illustrations tinted with watercolor give this spare retelling the look of hand-tinted etchings, and they feature detailed settings and well-realized characters.

D’AULAIRE, Ingri & Edgar Perin D’Aulaire. D’Aulaires’ Book of Trolls. NYR Children’s Collection. 2006. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-59017-217-9.

K-Gr 4–Available once again, this beautifully lithographed collection of lore introduces children to some of traditional literature’s bad boys (and girls). Understanding troll nature makes the stupidity of the troll in Natalie Babbitt’s opening story, “Not a Farmer,” told in Jack Plank Tells Tales (see below), even funnier. And, of course, many children will already have met a troll in The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Marcia Brown’s version (Harcourt, 1957) is still the best one out there.

EILENBERG, Max, retel. Beauty and the Beast. illus. by Angela Barrett. Candlewick. 2006. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3160-4.

Gr 2-4–This dramatic story of the power of love is tweaked a bit with a doting father, fashionable girls, a fearsome and furry beast, and a pale Beauty set within luminous watercolor illustrations. Marianna Mayer’s retelling (Chronicle, 2000) with ink and watercolor paintings is an equally vibrant depiction. Both provide a fine reminder of the story before older readers tackle Donna Jo Napoli’s novel-length tale, Beast (S & S, 2000).

HURSTON, Zora Neale, comp. The Three Witches. adapt. by Joyce Carol Thomas. illus. by Faith Ringgold. HarperCollins. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-000649-5; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-000650-1.

K-Gr 3–A joy to read aloud, this richly illustrated story features bright and colorful background for the action. When witches threaten two children, some magic, a helpful snake, a grandmother returned from market just in time, and dogs on the loose help out. Another Hurston tale retold for a young audience and freshly illustrated with energetic oil monoprints by Ann Tanksley is the deliciously silly The Six Fools (HarperCollins, 2006).

MACDONALD, Margaret Read, retel. The Old Woman and Her Pig: An Appalachian Folktale. illus. by John Kanzler. HarperCollins. 2007. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-028089-5; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-028090-1.

PreS-Gr 2–Back in the day when a piggy could be purchased for a penny, Ma’am buys one in town. But on the return trip, the frightened porker balks at going over the bridge. The woman begs help from a dog, rat, and cat, setting off a familiar chain reaction. Colorful characters, punchy sentences, and just enough repetition to keep listeners hooked make this a great read-aloud.

NESBIT, E. Jack and the Beanstalk. illus. by Matt Tavares. Candlewick. 2006. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7636-2124-7.

K-Gr 4–Still fresh after a century, Nesbit’s version of the tale is embellished with details of the feckless Jack’s well-intentioned actions, such as walking slowly to market to see if grass really does grow under his feet. Elegant watercolors echoing the burnished gold tones of the rolling fields show well in storyhours. Skewed versions include Mary Pope Osborne’s gender-switching Kate and the Beanstalk (S & S, 2000) and Diane Stanley’s sequel of sorts, The Giant and the Beanstalk (HarperCollins, 2004), in which the big man comes looking for his missing hen.

PINKNEY, Jerry. The Little Red Hen. illus. by author. Dial. 2006. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-2935-3.

PreS-Gr 2–Pinkney’s cheery watercolors set his fairly traditional version on a farm with talking animals. His extras include color descriptions of the animals in matching tinted font and the hen’s explanation of why each one should be inclined to help. Paul Galdone’s classic version (Clarion, 1979) is loaded with visual jokes, and both editions offer new readers plenty of opportunity to chime in.

CALMENSEN, Stephanie. The Teeny Tiny Teacher: A Teeny Tiny Ghost Story, Adapted a Teeny Tiny Bit. illus by Denis Roche. Scholastic. 1998. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-439-40069-5.

K-Gr 3–Joseph Jacobs’s Teeny Tiny, reset in an elementary school with desks made of dominoes, boasts a teeny tiny teacher who hands out teeny tiny glasses of juice while a voice in the closet demands ever more loudly “Give me back my bone.” School trappings will be familiar to youngsters, and they’ll appreciate how the author plays with kindergarten routines. Brightly colored cartoon drawings add to the fun.

DALY, Niki. Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa. illus. by author. Clarion. 2007. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-618-72345-4.

PreS-Gr 2–Pretty Salma is warned by her grandma to stay on “the quiet side of town.” But she strays, and she encounters raggedy Mr. Dog who takes off with her belongings. Dressed in his Anansi storytelling costume, grandfather scares Mr. Dog back to the wild side of town. Set in Ghana, the story has appealing, boldly colored illustrations.

ISAACS, Anne. Pancakes for Supper. illus. by Mark Teague. Scholastic. 2006. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-439-64483-9.

K-Gr 3–When poor Toby falls out of her parents’ wagon heading west, she lands in a New England snowbank. She outsmarts a hungry wolf, cougar, and porcupine whose chase around a maple tree produces enough syrup for a huge pancake supper. Teague’s oil paintings support the tall-tale flavor of this story inspired by Helen Bannerman’s The Story of Little Black Sambo.

LOWELL, Susan. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. illus. by Randy Cecil. Holt. 2001. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-5862-8; pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-0-8050-7534-2.

PreS-Gr 2–Dusty Locks arrives at the empty house of the Three Bears, trailing a cloud of dust. She samples Papa Bear’s too-spicy beans, becomes “madder than a half-squashed hornet” after breaking Baby Bear’s chair, and makes the room smell “mighty whiffy.” While the story sticks close to the original, hyper-Western language and snappy gouache illustrations make this version crackle with humor.

NAPOLI, Donna Jo. Ugly. illus. by Lita Judge. Hyperion. 2006. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-3753-3.

Gr 2-6–Set in Tasmania, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling” remains faithful to the tone and bone of the story while adding flesh and feathers. As Ugly sets out on a journey of self-discovery, he encounters native animals, including a wombat and a spurred platypus. Black-line illustrations help readers identify the unusual animals. Compare this to Robert Ingpen’s distinctively illustrated The Ugly Duckling (Minedition, 2005), a text that remains true to Andersen’s sometimes violent tale.

PALATINI, Margie. The Three Silly Billies. illus. by Barry Moser. S & S. 2005. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-689-85862-8.

K-Gr 3–Humorous watercolor illustrations popping against white pages show the troll sporting a hardhat that reads “Trollgate Plaza.” He wants a dollar, but the three goats only have fifty cents, so other familiar characters chip in: Red Riding Hood offers some very sticky coins and Jack provides two cents. There’s plenty to do with this story–identify the characters, tote up the change, and giggle at the implied and perfect ending.

SQUIRES, Janet. The Gingerbread Cowboy. illus. by Holly Berry. HarperCollins/Laura Geringer Bks. 2006. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-077863-7; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-077864-4.

PreS-Gr 2–Rendered with an orange-toned watercolor palette and colored-pencil line, this Wild West cookie pops out of the woodstove chanting, “Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man.” Running across the desert, he eludes critters and hungry cowboys, but it’s the coyote that has the last bite. Compare this one with Richard Egielski’s The Gingerbread Boy (HarperCollins, 1997), set in New York City, and Lisa Campbell Ernst’s The Gingerbread Girl (Dutton, 2006), whose female lead is “one smart cookie.”

ALLEN, Debbie. Brothers of the Knight. illus. by Kadir Nelson. Dial. 1999. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-2488-4; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-14-230016-9.

K-Gr 5–This tale switches the 12 dancing princesses to break-dancing boys living in Harlem. Preacher Knight’s sons mysteriously and totally trash their sneakers. What’s going on? Their housekeeper, the latest in a long line who find these brothers a bit much to handle, resolves to find out. Allen tells the story with lively patter through the eyes of the family dog, and Nelson’s joyful illustrations capture the brothers’ exuberant steps.

BRIGGS, Raymond. Jim and the Beanstalk. illus. by author. Putnam. 1997. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-698-11577-4.

Gr 1-4–Jim, Jack’s grandson, climbs the beanstalk to find an old giant relishing a dim memory of “three fried boys on toast.” Jim provides false teeth, glasses, and a toupee for his grandfather’s aged adversary, with the process humorously rendered in alternating spreads of watercolor and black-and-white line drawings. The giant rewards Jim with a gold coin and a handwritten note that’s sure to please newly competent writers.

HENNESSY, B. G. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. illus. by Boris Kulikov. S & S. 2006. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-689-87433-8.

PreS-Gr 2–With a faintly contemporary European setting, this silly retelling is loaded with visual humor depicted in zany watercolor and gouache illustrations. When the “SO bored” boy cries a warning, a motley crowd of townspeople, dressed in everything from medieval dress to sports attire, trucks up the hill. Pair this with John Rocco’s Wolf! Wolf! (Hyperion, 2007), which is set in ancient China and has an alternative ending for a frustrated wolf gardener and a weed-eating goat.

STANLEY, Diane. Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter. illus. by author. HarperCollins. l997. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-688-14327-5; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-688-14328-2; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-441095-3.

K-Gr 4–In this cleverly reworked sequel, the miller’s daughter weds Rumpelstiltskin. Eventually, their daughter finds herself in the same position experienced by her mother years earlier. In a modern feminist twist, Hope convinces the king to share his wealth with the hungry peasants. Stanley’s telling is crisp and funny, but her illustrations of the foppish king and the capable Hope are even more so.

STURGES, Philemon. The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza). illus. by Amy Walrod. Dutton. 1999. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-525-45953-8.

PreS-Gr 3–Using the structure of the original, this version of the story more or less follows the process of making a pizza. Loopy collage illustrations show the hen shopping for ingredients and quite a bit of “some other stuff.” Children may object when the animals that didn’t contribute enjoy the treat, but they pay in the end by helping to do the dishes.

WILCOX, Leah. Falling for Rapunzel. illus. by Lydia Monks. Puffin. 2003. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-0-399-23794-2; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-14-240399-0.

K-Gr 3–A prince tries to rescue Rapunzel when she is merely lamenting a bad hair day. When he tells her to throw down her hair, she misunderstands and tosses underwear. Other mix-ups ensue before the exasperated prince, asking for her braid, gets the maid and decides to ride off with her instead. Witty verse and clever collage illustrations contribute to the silliness.

BABBITT, Natalie. Jack Plank Tells Tales. illus. by author. Scholastic/Michael di Capua Bks. 2007. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-545-00496-1.

Gr 2-6–Jack Plank, an ex-pirate, tells eight stories to his host, each one involving some folktale motif to explain why he can’t find a regular job. For instance, farming is out because he helped a troll reposition himself from a field to under a bridge but then wouldn’t pay the toll. Spare black-and-white line drawings emphasize character and subtly suggest the action.

ENSOR, Barbara. Cinderella (As If You Didn’t Already Know the Story). illus by author. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. 2006. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-0-375-83620-6; PLB $14.99. ISBN 978-0-375-93620-3.

Gr 3-6–In a skewed and updated version, Cinderella writes to her dead mother about her new stepmother and sisters and signs her letters “Cupcake.” Quirky silhouettes resembling untidy paper cut-outs echo the scatty nature of the telling, which ends with a married Cinderella running the household as an animal sanctuary and her prince more in touch with his feelings.

GRUBER, Michael. The Witch’s Boy. HarperTempest. 2005. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-076164-6; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-076165-3; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-06-076167-7.

Gr 6-9–Against the advice of her cat, a witch takes in an abandoned baby and names him Lump. Frighteningly ugly and detested by the local children, the youngster becomes a mean-spirited youth intent on revenge. Familiar tales, such as “Hansel and Gretel,” “Rumplestiltskin,” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” are cleverly worked into this literary tale of pain and redemption, but often with a much darker spin.

HOLMES, Sarah. Letters from Rapunzel. HarperCollins. 2007. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-078073-9; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-078074-6.

Gr 4-8–Cadence writes letters to a post-office box that she thinks belongs to her father’s friend. As she spins tales, readers discover that her father is under an Evil Spell of depression and has been hospitalized. Cadence reveals her true feelings using folktale as metaphor as she retells the story of Rapunzel in a series of short chapters that creatively interweave the genres of traditional literature and realism.

LEVINE, Gail Carson. Fairest. HarperCollins. 2006. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-073408-4; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-073409-1.

Gr 6-9–In a story loosely based on “Sleeping Beauty,” Aza, a commoner in Ayortha, is homely, generously proportioned, and in possession of a beautiful voice. When her talent attracts the attention of a jealous young queen and a prince, she flees the wrath of the queen and disappears into the forest. There she learns that beauty is found in trusting her heart and not in appearances.

STANLEY, Diane. Bella at Midnight. illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. HarperCollins. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-077573-5; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-06-077574-2.

Gr 5-8–Raised as a peasant girl, Bella is surprised to discover that she is the abandoned child of a knight who suddenly wants to include her in his household with his new, unpleasant wife. The framework of Cinderella includes glass slippers but also encompasses honor, loyalty, and Bella’s search for the prince, a childhood friend, now a hostage in the war between the countries of Moranmoor and Brutanna.