Author: Chris Duffy (Editor)
Publisher: First Second
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Comic books and graphic novels are one of the current trends. Kids like reading books with lots of pictures, where they can see the action unfold before their eyes as opposed to descriptive verse they must dissect. Biographies are beginning to make an appearance in cartoon form and now, apparently, are fairy tales.
Every child loves fairy tales, but I can tell that this will be an even more beloved item on library and bookstore shelves. Within this volume can be found the classics--such as "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"--to lesser known stories from other nations. Fairy Tale Comics could have stayed in a Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault bubble and they didn't; I applaud them for that. However, on the flip side, and my slight criticism, some kids might dislike the fact that they do not know the stories. It's a gamble to be sure and one I am intrigued to see how it will pay off. Many kids are drawn to books because they know them and when they don't, they put them aside in favor of something else. While I do not see that being the case here, it is a remote possibility...
However, the beauty and secret lies in this: each story has been illustrated by a different cartoonist. I could say that there are similarities and yet, that would be a lie. No two stories look the same. My personal favorites were those stories done by Brett Helquist (who also illustrated The Series of Unfortunate Events), Raina Telgemeier (creator of the graphic novel, Smile), and Luke Pearson (a UK cartoonist). The more I am around kids, the more that I discover that while they like the familiar, they do like being surprised, especially where illustrations are concerned. It's that "wow factor" that is so crucial of which to be in possession. As they read through Fairy Tale Comics, I can imagine how they will enthusiastically turn the page, wanting to see just what illustrations come next.
I will readily admit, I am not the biggest comic book fan; I skim them more than anything. Yet I see huge marketing potential. I see fairy tale aficionados soaking this book up. I see kids grabbing it off library shelves as they grab their Big Nate and Calvin and Hobbes comic books. That is a good thing.
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Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an ARC of this book.
Fairy Tale Comics will be released on Sept. 23, 2013
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