July 10th, 2012 from Candlewick
Writing in free verse honed to a wicked edge, the incomparable Ron Koertge brings dark and contemporary humor to twenty iconic fairy tales.
I picked up this little book, less than 100 pages, at Midwinter and read it on the bus ride back to the hotel. Okay, more than one trip. I wasn't sure what to expect, my copy had no cover art and I don't read the back of books. Turns out, this book contains 23 classic fairy tales we all know and love. This time, they are written in free verse and often paired with paper cut silhouettes that will blow you away. Look at the cover above, you get what I'm saying. My favorite story was the very first one, The Stepsisters. It is a dark, violent, and fractured version of Cinderella through the eyes of one of the stepsisters. She describes 'You-Know-Who' coming out of the kitchen and the Prince falling on his knees practically sucking on her perfect toes at the site of her. Like the original tale, the ball doesn't go well for the sisters, but in this version they go blind due to some rogue birds.
