I found this softcover in this Little Free Library in Nashua NH while dropping off some books of my own. It's a collection of retold fairy tales by some of the top fantasy and SF writers, aimed at readers ages 8-12.

"The Months of Manhattan" by Delia Sherman plays with personifications of (surprise!) months in Manhattan, by way of teaching the main character how to appreciate new surroundings (and avoid insulting local Powers That Be).

Jane Yolen's "Cinder Elephant" is a spin on - well, it's obvious what it's a spin on, but in this case Cinders is a "lovely big girl" who puts up with a lot of teasing. She gets some help from some birds (who, the narrator points out, really are birdbrains sometimes), and things work out in a charmingly offbeat way.

I've read "Instructions" by Neil Gaiman in other collections, but it was great to see it here as well; he pretty much runs through as many fairy-tale tropes as he can in the form of a list of guidelines, starting with "Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never saw before..."

"Mrs. Big" by Michael Cadnum is a thought-provoking, funny/poignant/scary take on "Jack and the Beanstalk" from the point of view of the giant's wife.

"Falada" by Nancy Farmer tells the story of the "Goose Girl" from the viewpoint of her magical horse.

Tanith Lee's "A Wolf at the Door" sounds like it'd be a twist on "Red Riding Hood", but it's more of "The Princess and the Frog" - or something completely different...

"Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens" by Janeen Webb changes the setting to old gold fields in Australia.

Kelly Link's "Swans" twists the brothers-turned-into-swans story.

Katherine Vaz' "The Kingdom of Melting Glances" is based on a Portuguese story that I wasn't familiar with, so I found it especially charming.

Garth Nix does a modernized and deliciously dark version of "Hansel and Gretel" in "Hansel's Eyes"; this was one of my favorites in the book.

"The Seven Stage a Comeback" is Gregory Maguire's nod to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", told in a sort of song format from the viewpoint of each of the dwarves.

And Patricia A. McKillip's "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is a genre-savvy look at that story, with cracks like "it pays to be kind to crones"...

I left this book in this new-to-me Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2022 You're Such an Animal challenge. ***

My family recently set up a Little Free Library in our front yard and were so happy to see how quickly it was already being used! We were extremely intrigued by the appearance of a few books marked with Book Crossing labels. Looking into Book Crossing we all agreed it was such an amazing concept and are excited to be a part of this books traveling journey!

Decided to help this book along in it’s journey. What better place for a book of reimagined fairy tales than at the Pickity Place Little Free Library!