Straw into Gold

December 1, 2018
Ten familiar Western tales are buffed up, inventively recast, and infused with tenderness and warm good humor.Opening with the parochial (her sources, characters, and settings seem to be exclusively Eurocentric) but lovely observation that fairy tales "are our living heritage, true fairy gold, except these stories do not disappear at sunset," McKay begins with a tale in which, intercut with flashbacks, an older Rapunzel teaches her twin children about patience when they bring home a songbird that fearfully clings to its cage. A heart-rending version of "Rumpelstiltskin" featuring a lowly "hob" who aches for a child to love follows. Snow White artfully uses her own experiences to wean her granddaughter Sophie away from the notion that being prettiest of all is all that counts; peas and mattresses come into play when a newborn Prince Charming pulls the Dust-Gray Fairy's nose. "Red Riding Hood" is stripped of its stranger-danger overtones and ends with a joyful wedding; in a clever bit of literary legerdemain, Gretel tells her tale with perfect coherence but back to front in a school report; and for the closer, an atmospheric retelling of the Grimms' "Six Swans" proposes an answer to the powerful riddle: "If I have seven boys and a sister for each of them, how many children have I?" With rare exceptions--notably Gretel's class picture, which features a lineup diverse in dress and skin tone--Gibb sticks to traditional white figures and antique or country garb in her frequent silhouettes and delicately detailed painted scenes. Some dark doings, but far more charm and happy endings. (bibliography) (Fairy tales/short stories. 10-13)

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January 1, 2019
In a collection pleasingly reminiscent of the work of E. Nesbit and Eleanor Farjeon, McKay (most recently Love to Everyone, rev. 11/18) retells ten familiar fairy tales from the European tradition, including Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, and The Swan Brothers. Each has its own McKay spin: Grandma Snow White tells her chicken-poxy granddaughter about her own terrifying childhood; Gretel's new teacher reads her writing assignment, What I Did in the Holidays and Why Hansel's Jacket Is So Tight (by Gretel, aged 10). Within the context of varied tellers and points of view, the gist of the classic stories remains largely intact, but McKay brings her own warm, insightful humor into the magical world. Earnest, scruffy, brave, greedy, or hard-working, her child characters are earthy and realistic. Gretel sucks her pencil until it leaves a damp ring of gray around her mouth, and Red Riding Hood kisses her favorite pig between the ears every night. Even the tensions of narrow-minded villagers and smug urbanites are as vital to McKay's subtle magic as the classic plots. Gibb's delicate silhouette illustrations favor the pinch-waisted figures and curly up-dos of Perrault's time, casting a sparkle of glamour over McKay's pig-loving, lumpy-handed maidens and the round, soft blossom of a girl who is Rumpelstiltskin's nemesis. deirdre f. baker

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 McKay delivers bedtime-worthy old yarns respun with fresh perspectives. Many fairy tale retellings end up stretching stories into entire novels, and it's refreshing to see a short story collection along the same lines. Add to that the artful language and lovely illustrations sprinkled throughout?some in silhouettes, others with finer detail and soft shading?and this book is a real delight. Here, a "forest lapped all around, a green ocean of trees"; there, the aroma of roses "rolled down the hill over the little river and bathed the town in perfume." For discerning readers, there's even a reference to hobbits. Anyone who loves fairy tales would be hard-pressed to put this down as they hear the story of the Pied Piper from the perspective of the town's old mayor, or the story of Snow White from someone who lived it. Of course, there's the titular tale of Rumpelstiltskin, a favorite of the author's. A thought-provoking take on familiar, well-loved stories, ideal for anyone who can't get enough fairy tales.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
McKay retells ten familiar fairy tales from the European tradition. Within the context of varied tellers and points of view, the gist of the classic stories remains largely intact, but McKay brings her own warm, insightful humor into the magical world. Earnest, scruffy, brave, greedy, or hard-working, her child characters are earthy and realistic, with Gibb's delicate silhouette illustrations casting a sparkle of glamour over them.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)