AN ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION OF FAIRY TALES FOR BRAVE CHILDREN - Scott Plumbe, illustrator

Yes, yes, yes!

I recently read and reviewed a classic children's book (Pinocchio) and I was reminded of growing up reading the very familiar fairy tales of the brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson which had me thinking that we've done a disservice to some of the younger generations by Disnefying the classics and publishing so many new children's books every year. Of course every children's book author hopes theirs will become a future 'classic' - and some have, such as Jan Brett. But we really can't ignore what I consider to be the origins of children's stories.  And just as I am thinking that we've turned our collective backs on the classic fairy tales, we get this beautifully illustrated children's picture book.

Right off the bat, I love the title for this book.  Adding the prepositional phrase "for brave children" is really perfect. If you've read many of the fairy tales (specifically Grimm's), you know that they can often be dark and even brutal.   Be brave, indeed!

I also really liked that this book features a variety of fairy tale authors including the well-known Hans Christian Anderson ("The Wild Swans") and Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm ("The Spirit in the Bottle," "The Three Golden Hairs," "Hansel & Gretel"), the lesser known name (but well known story) Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont ("Beauty and the Beast"), the very little-known Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev ("Vassilissa"), and the surprising Oscar Wilde ("The Selfish Giant").

Artist Scott Plumbe illustrates this book with really gorgeous color illustrations.  Plumbe's work reflects the classic style of Arthur Rackham (one of the greatest illustrators working around the turn of the 20th century) giving the reader that sense of classic work while maintaining a fresh, modern feel.

I liked everything about this book ... with one exception.  There isn't enough of it. 

There could easily be three times as many stories and still we'd only be touching the surface of classic fairy tales.  Let's hope that this is just the first volume in a series.

Looking for a good book? Be bold and add An Illustrated Collection of Fairy Tales for Brave Children, illustrated by Scott Plumbe, to your book shelf for your children, grandchildren, or even for yourself.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

* * * * * *

An Illustrated Collection of Fairy Tales for Brave Children

authors: Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev, Hans Christian Anderson, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Oscar Wilde

artist: Scott Plumbe

publisher: Floris Books

ISBN: 9781782506713

hardcover, 88 pages

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