Little Library Bookshelf is a curated list of books around a theme or topic curated by a local librarian. This month Aleece Michalak from the Round Lake Area Public Library is turning what you know about Fairytales on it’s head.
Looking for a twist on an old favorite? Look no further than these wonderful odd mixed up Fairy Tales. When traditional fairy tales take a twist they are sometimes referred to as Fractured Fairy Tales so let’s dive right into some great favorites that everyone can enjoy.
Mixed up Fairytales
A cute twist on the Gingerbread Man. An old man makes a ninjabread man in order to have a friend but once he is baked he jumps out the house and is on the move. While the Ninjabread Man avoids the perils of other animals trying to eat him the river seems to be the trickiest obstacle yet. However, the old man who wanted a friend (not food) saves him at the last minute and teaches him how to be a true ninja in Ninja School. Overall a great fun read for kids who love ninjas and gingerbread men.
The retelling of the Three Little Pigs set under the sea where the big bad shark is ready to wreck some houses. The first little fish builds a house of seaweed, the second little fish builds a sandcastle house and finally the last little fish doesn’t build a house but finds an old wooden ship. This is a fun retelling that is sure to be a favorite amongst little ones that love the original as well as sharks and everything that has to do with the ocean. This is a wonderfully colorful book that is fun for all ages.
A lot of mixed up fairy tales are sprinkled throughout this story. When a piglet named Pigmella is accidentally switched with the princess Priscilla the king believes it was an evil fairy’s spell like Sleeping Beauty. When the farmer discovers the baby the wife believes it to be a good fairy’s spell like in Thumbelina. Then when the farmer’s wife discovers the switch they believe it to be like the Prince and the Pauper and decide that she needs to go back to her real home. A wonderful mash up of several fairy tales rolled all into one for one fantastic tale. This book has colorful illustrations that kids will love and humor throughout due to Priscilla (really Pigmella) trying to be taught how to be a princess. Overall a very entertaining book that kids and adults will love.
Author: Mo Willems
This is a story of dinosaurs that for some strange reason decide to set up their house so that their beds are made, chairs are set out and chocolate pudding is ready to go at several different temperatures. And they decide to go…Someplace else and leave the door unlocked…So Goldilocks happens to walk down the road and follow the signs to an unlocked house with wonderful pudding. This is a hilarious twist on the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears. While the dinosaurs tried to trick Goldilocks in the end she outsmarted the dinosaurs and left before the rest of the story could unfold. This is a great book for slightly older kids that know how the original story goes.
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Little Red’s class was tasked with writing a story and Ms. 2 the teacher told her that if she gets lost while writing to use one of her 15 red words in her basket to help her get back on track. This is a cute book about creating a story but while creating a story Little Red has an adventure all her own and with the help of some of her red words from her basket she is able to save the day from the Wolf 3000 pencil sharpener. This is a story that would be best understood by slightly older children. Parents and children could also use this book as a starting point in creating their own story together.
While there are many classic fairy tales to read there are new mixed-up fairy tales to enjoy as well. Maybe your favorite version of Cinderella isn’t the original but the new colorful graphic novel version of Cinderella called, Ninja-rella where Ninja-rella doesn’t want to fall in love with Prince Charming but protect him from evil all while doing it from the shadows. These fractured fairy tales are just as charming as the originals and all of them can be found at your local library.
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