“We’re all working from the same dictionary.” That’s Dr. T, my dentist, commenting on the fact that English users are not all writers. I thought of this as I read Black Pearls: a Faerie Strand by Louise Hawes, Houghton Mifflin, 2008. The lyrical language of these re-imagined fairy tales is astounding. Is Hawes really working from the same dictionary as the rest of us?
The dwarf Erin falls in love with Diamonda as she waits for the fateful poisoned apple. “While the wind of envy rattled and moaned, closing its fingers around her hiding place, the two of us spent whole mornings in the blue shadows of the mountains beyond our forest.”
Rapunzel or Rampion? Snow White or Diamonda? The name changes alone signal that our beloved fairy tales have grown up. Did you wonder why Lady Godiva rode naked down Coventry’s single street? “…it was as a penitent that I dismounted, freighted with a secret treasure, at the small cottage where Ebba was being born.”
Hawes boldly travels into dark places with these tales. The surprising twists are perfectly geared to a YA, and even adult, audience. Readers who grew up with Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella will delight in approaching these familiar stories from new angles. Louise Hawes is a master writer. You can trust her to deliver stories worth reading.
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
wrappings
It's Christmas Eve and I'm still wrapping. I can use the ice storm as an excuse, but, truth be told, last minute wrapping is my norm. Books are always in my gift pile. Somehow I think others like to receive them as much as I do!
This year I chose two books for my granddaughters. One, Heidi, very traditional, and the other, Fairy Tale Feasts by mother and daughter team Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, sort of traditional.
In Fairy Tale Feasts, subtitled A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters, Yolen presents familiar and not-so-familiar tales with new details that make the stories fresh. Grandmother loses her white curls in Little Red Riding Hood when the hunter fillets the wolf too quickly.
Folktale history is presented in sidebars, and each tale is followed by a relevant recipe developed and tested by Stemple. Deviled eggs, potato salad and chicken pockets are in Red Riding Hood's basket.
Creating and enjoying the food in this book will connect the fairy tale with the experience forever. Why shouldn't my too favorite occupations, reading and eating, be companions?
This year I chose two books for my granddaughters. One, Heidi, very traditional, and the other, Fairy Tale Feasts by mother and daughter team Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, sort of traditional.
In Fairy Tale Feasts, subtitled A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters, Yolen presents familiar and not-so-familiar tales with new details that make the stories fresh. Grandmother loses her white curls in Little Red Riding Hood when the hunter fillets the wolf too quickly.
Folktale history is presented in sidebars, and each tale is followed by a relevant recipe developed and tested by Stemple. Deviled eggs, potato salad and chicken pockets are in Red Riding Hood's basket.
Creating and enjoying the food in this book will connect the fairy tale with the experience forever. Why shouldn't my too favorite occupations, reading and eating, be companions?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)