Fairy Tales, In Graphic Format

Fairy Tale Comics
selected by Chris Duffy

I first became familiar with Chris Duffy's work when I received a copy of Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymesf rom 50 Celebrated Cartoonists. I love the book as soon as I read the first few pages. This was back in 2011. I am so glad to see his latest book, which will be released in a few weeks, September 24th, Fairy Tale Comics.

Fairy Tale Comics, selected by Chris Duffy, is exactly what the title implies. It is a wonderful collection of fairy tales illustrated in a graphic format. Duffy spent time reading as many fairy tales as he could and narrowed the selection down to seventeen well known tales. He and his editor did a great job of of choosing a "mix that included a lot of Grimm tales, a majority of well-known stories, a good sampling of non-European traditions, and a balance of boy and girl heroes." I love the fact they made the last balance. So many times boys will not pick up a fairy tale because it is a "girl story". 

The cartoonists selected for this project did a phenomenal job. Each story was illustrated by a different person. 

• "Sweet Porridge" by Bobby London
• "The 12 Dancing Princesses" by Emily Carroll
• "Hansel and Gretel" by Gilbert Hernandez
• "Puss in Boots" by Vanessa Davis
• "Little Red Riding Hood" by Gigi D.G.
• "The Prince and the Tortoise" by Ramona Fradon & Chris Dufy
• "Snow White" by Jaime Hernandez
• "The Boy Who Drew Cats" by Luke Pearson
• "Rumpelstiltskin" by Brett Helquist
• "Rabbit Will Not Help" by Joseph Lambert
• "Rapunzel" by Raina Telemeier
• "The Small Tooth Dog" by Charise Mericle Harper
• "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" by Graham Annable
• "Baba Yaga" by Jillian Tamaki
• "Bremen Town" by Karl Kerschl
• "Give Me the Shudders" by David Mazzucchelli
• "Azzolino's Story Wihtout End" by Craig Thompson

The cover illustration is spot on for a library collection. I believe both girls and boys will want to read this fun book. Boys because it has "Comics" in the title and girls because of the "Fairy Tale". Either way, this is a wonderful collection in a graphic novel format. Over the years, the graphic novel has become an increasingly popular format for all genres. In years past the comic book was not considered "real reading", but more and more libraries are purchasing graphic novels to meet the needs of their patrons.

I would highly recommend this book, as well as Nursery Rhyme Comics, for libraries who serve children. Not only are the stories and illustrations charming, but the graphic novel format is perfect for the upper elementary age readers.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, First Second publishers, has provided a complimentary electronic copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.