This week I bring you a new book from Gayle Krause, no stranger to my blog. This time, her creativity explodes in wacky, poetic, fractured fairy tales. Ever think of combining Jack and the Beanstalk with The Emperor's New Clothes? Or, what would happen if a princess was turned into a frog as a part of the Pied Piper's march through the streets? How about imagining the Big Bad Wolf falling into Little Hen's kitchen? Gayle Krause has thought of all of these and more as characters from one fairy tale end up in something silly, fun, and unexpected.
REVIEW
I think the best way to review this collection is to provide teasers from three different tales.
The Emperor's Bodyguard
Jack fled down the beanstalk
and crashed into the King,
whose royal backside was exposed.
He didn’t wear a thing.
The naked King was trembling.
He only wore his crown.
“Turn back,” yelled Jack. “I need to hack
the giant’s beanstalk down.”
“I need the big guy’s help,” he cried.
“I’ll give him a reward
to catch the thieves who hoodwinked me.
This cannot be ignored.
Fractured – A Story-time Pantoum
What makes this a fractured tale of “fairy?”
Spouting poetry, free verse, and rhyme.
Eavesdropping children must be wary,
as I weave these tales at story-time.
Spouting poetry, free verse and, rhyme.
Frogs are Kings, and a princess seeks a quest.
As I weave these tales at story time.
Answers to riddles must be guessed….
A Rat’s Life
A piper with a flute
led the pesky
rats through town,
down to the river,
where all but
one would drown.
The rat that
survived the deadly
rat parade
was turned into a coachman
for a pretty cinder maid….
Gayle used different types of poems in this collection -- from hip hop to free verse to pantoum-- and readers will be exposed to a variety of poetry forms. With lively illustrations by Caroline O' Neal, this book will delight young readers and the parents or caretakers who read it aloud. Middle school language arts teachers could compare these tales with the original fairy tales and encourage their students to come up with their own fractured fairy tale.
GIVEAWAY
To enter this giveaway for an autographed copy of Once Upon a Twisted Tale (Clear Fork Publishing, 2019), please leave me a comment by June 27. Make sure you leave me your email address if you are new to this blog. If you want two chances, leave your idea for a twisted fairy tale in the comment box. If Cinderella met the Big Bad Wolf what would the outcome be? Gayle will send an autographed copy of the book to the winner and we promise not to steal your idea. (But I can't vouch for the Gingerbread Man. You never know what he might do!)
