Fractured Fables from Silverline Books - review

Kids who like the Little Lit titles (It Was a Dark and Silly Night..., Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies) will cackle over this collection of familiar tales given an irreverent twist. Rapunzel thinks the prince's request to 'let down her hair' is 'really random'. Gepetto injures his hand trying to spank his robot son after the Blue Fairy grants the wish that makes Pinocchio a real boy. Red Riding Hood's Grandma runs a martial arts academy. Cinderella rejects the lovely blue ballgown provided by her fairy godmother - she was thinking more "Anne Hathaway at the Oscars".

Larry Marder's contribution, above, inspired me to rifle through my old comics collection and pull out Beanworld for my kids. Coincidentally, Beanworld has been recently republished as a kids' graphic novel.

All the stories are short, almost all are in full color, and they're funny.

Contributors include comics veterans who have worked on every major character in the industry; as well as writers and artists who specialize in children's and young adult fiction. Fans of Magic Pickle, Ghostopolis, Magic Trixie, and Dear Dracula may recognize the creators of these and other graphic novels for kids in the table of contents. The diverse roster of artists and writers is reflected in the variety of styles and media represented - cartoony to comic realistic, manga-esque,  watercolor, ink and brush, digital, shiny-sharp, misty.

The stories are short, colorful, funny, sometimes a little rude... catnip for the middle grade. The binding on this hardcover graphic novel is strong, which is good, because it's going to get a lot of exercise.

 

Adapted from my review of this book which first appeared in the July, 2011 issue of School Library Journal.

Comments

[Shelf-employed]

Hi! Stopping by to tell you that I've chosen Pink Me for the Liebster Award, recognizing worthy blogs with fewer than 200 followers. I'm not sure of its origin, but I received one this week and am passing it along to you. Details here: http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2011/10/paying-it-forward-liebster-award.html
Cheers!
Lisa