France Month: La princesse au petit pois by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Charlotte Gastaut

La princesse au petit pois by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Charlotte Gastaut is another Princess and the Pea, of course. Gastaut has illustrated many fairy tales and I have already featured Les fées by Charles Perrault and illustrated by Charlotte Gastaut. She has many more books, but alas I could not find good images for many of them although I am also sharing her Cinderella in a separate post today. There is a hidden page on her under construction website to see some unlabeled images and she has a blog where she occasionally shares more including some murals. I like her clean style.

Book description:

« Il était une fois un prince qui voulait se marier. Hélas aucune des jeunes filles qu on lui présentait ne trouvait grâce à ses yeux. Un soir, par un terrible orage, une jeune fille frappa à la porte du château. S'agissait-il, enfin, de la princesse tant recherchée ? » Trop d'enfants aujourd hui ne connaissent plus les contes classiques. Ces contes qui, pourtant, aident à grandir, enrichissent l imaginaire de milles et une créatures, fées, princesses ou dragons et apportent à la vie une moral pleine d humour où les méchants sont punis et les plus petits récompensés. Des contes qui donnent envie d apprendre à lire et de plus tard raconter, transmettre l histoire à ses enfants ! Pour faciliter l accès à cette formidable richesse de la littérature jeunesse, voilà une collection à petit prix, avec des histoires magnifiquement illustrées et surtout des textes, adaptés aux enfants, qui ont su garder l'impertinence, l ambiance et les tournures si particulières des contes de fées...

France Month: Princesse au petit pois illustrated by Delphine Bodet

I have a French book post of La Belle et la Bête illustrated by Delphine Bodet also scheduled for today but wanted to share Bodet's unpublished illustrations for Princess and the Pea featured in her website's portfolio. I'm always a fan of this tale and images of the stacked mattresses. Bodet has fun with them, too.

France Month: La princesse au petit pois by Delphine Grenier (Illustrations)

La princesse au petit pois by Delphine Grenier (Illustrations) is Princess and the Pea with some unusual illustrations.

Book description:

Il y avait une fois un prince qui voulait épouser une princesse, mais une princesse véritable. Il fit donc le tour du monde pour en trouver une, et, à la vérité, les princesses ne manquaient pas ; mais il ne pouvait jamais s’assurer si c’étaient de véritables princesses ; toujours quelque chose en elles lui paraissait suspect. En conséquence, il revint bien affligé de n’avoir pas trouvé ce qu’il désirait jusqu'a ce qu'une étrange princesse frappe à la porte de son château...

Book: Fractured Fables from Image Comics

 

I never wrote about this Fractured Fables (Hardcover), first because I came to it late, second because I am not at all well-versed in current comic books,* and lastly because I didn't look past the cover when I saw it, which to me, hate me if you want, looked very generic, like cheap fairy tale books at the dollar store. Nothing wrong with that, but not my usual interest or what I assume to be yours.

Then recently I stumbled across some sample pages from the book and I can fully admit I was wrong. I should know well enough by now to not judge a comic book by its cover, but at least I didn't suffer for my prejudgment forever. In other words, there is some great stuff within this innocuous looking cover. In fact, I learned that two of the pieces inside were nominated for Will Eisner Awards: Best Short Story Nominations--"Cinderella," by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo & "Little Red Riding Hood," by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d'Errico.

So like a diligent SurLaLune keeper, I have ordered my own hardcover copy to investigate further. It hadn't arrived when I wrote this, but I am not worried. I know I will like it. It's has enough pretty and I respond well to pretty. A paperback edition is due out in late January, so you can wait for that if you are interested. I wanted a hardcover myself.

From the publisher:

Some of the comic book industries best and brightest use their talents to welcome the next generation of comic book readers with the kid-friendly anthology, Fractured Fables! Featuring an introduction by Bill Willingham (FABLES), this all-new, humorous take on our most beloved fairy tales boasts a cover by Madman Atomic Comics creators Mike & Laura Allred and all-new stories by award-winning creators including Jill Thompson, Bryan Talbot, Peter David, Ben Templesmith, Scott Morse, Doug TenNapel, Laini Taylor, Ted McKeever, Terry Moore, Bill Morrison, Larry Marder, Jim Valentino, Phil Hester, and New Yorker artist Shannon Wheeler, among others.

From an article, Comic book review: 'Fractured Fables' by Joseph Szadkowski:

Here are just a few of my favorites:

■ "Little Red Riding Hood" is updated by writer Bryan Talbot and finds the brightly dressed child on a direct path to the Big Bad Wolf's stomach until she displays some surprising skills. Painter Camilla d'Errico brings a bit of an anime influence to the action and makes me exclaim when viewing Red, "My, what gigantic blue eyes you have."

■ Doug TenNapel's "Rumpelstiltskin" turns the classic into a "Ren and Stimpy" episode. He dementedly uses a grotesque art style that chaotically blends with the sophomoric hijinks of a magic little man who can turn hay into gold, a grumpy king and a dumber-than-a-post future queen.

■ The adventure of "The Little Mermaid" turns much more ominous in the hands of comics scribe extraordinaire Peter David as her quest to live happily ever after with a human prince becomes a puzzling problem in podiatry. Artist Ron Ferrara offers ample arch support for the mermaid's issues.

■ Writer Nick Spencer's "Cinderella" satisfies through a fable more about the frustrations of an unhip fairy godmother than the abused princess while artist Rodin Esquejo's beautiful and Disneyesque art style puts the story near the top of my favorites.

■ "Rip Van Winkle" meets Len Strazewski's imagination and we enjoy a story about a conceited girl named Pipi Van Wrinkles who gets loaded on cherry cordials and learns her fate as an adult. The slapstick shenanigans throughout come to life thanks to the pop-art and retro-Archie-Comics-like stylings of Paul Fricke.

*Except for my few years of avid Superman collecting and reading in the mid 90s, so I am not completely ignorant of how the industry works. I had a large collection that was stolen when we moved to California although I had quit collecting at that point. But I gave up for good then. It was just too depressing. I was also raised around a brother who was a Marvel fan, so I've spent some time in comic book shops and it is my favorite set on Big Bang Theory.

Princess and the Pea Retelling: The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Eloisa James has released a few fairy tale inspired category romances the last few years and today is the release date for her latest: The Duke Is Mine. It might not sound like it from the title, but this one is inspired by The Princess and the Pea which gets a big hurrah from me since this one so rarely inspires any novel.

Book description from the publisher:

Destiny will be decided between the sheets in this all-new tale of “The Princess and the Pea.”

For Olivia Lytton, betrothal to the Duke of Canterwick—hardly a Prince Charming—feels more like a curse than a happily-ever-after. At least his noble status will help her sister, Georgiana, secure an engagement with the brooding, handsome Tarquin, Duke of Sconce, a perfect match for her in every way . . . every way but one. Tarquin has fallen in love with Olivia.

Quin never puts passion before reason. And reason says that Georgiana is his ideal bride. But the sensual, fiery, strong-willed Olivia ignites an unknown longing in him— a desire they are both powerless to resist. When a scandalous affair begins, they risk losing everything—Olivia’s engagement, her sister’s friendship, and their own fragile love. Only one thing can save them—and it awaits in the bedroom, where a magnificent mattress holds life-changing answers to the greatest romantic riddle of all.

James's previous fairy tale inspired titles include A Kiss at Midnight (Cinderella) and When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Beauty and the Beast).

Advertising: Sky TV Spots and Fairy Tales

Frog Prince

I first featured the Princess and the Pea Sky commercial when this blog was fairly new and the ad campaign of Sky fairy tales was brand new. But I have never shared the other spots, so here they all are together. Surprisingly enough, I think the Aladdin is my favorite followed perhaps by Emperor's New Clothes. Red Riding Hood annoyed me with its editing.



Aladdin



Princess and the Pea



Emperor's New Clothes



Little Red Riding Hood

Playing at Princess and the Pea by Angie Duignan

'How does that story go again?' © Angie Duignan

I discovered this photo as part of the The Imagination of Children exhibit at the V&A Children's Museum during 15 October 2011 - 5 February 2012 when I was exploring their exhibit listings a few weeks ago. The exhibit doesn't appear to have a fairy tale emphasis, but this photo just grabbed me, so I wanted to share.

Haven't you wanted to sit on a pile of mattresses or even sleep on one ever since you first heard the tale?

A small display throughout the Museum bringing together the work of nine visual artists - Sonia Boyce, Sarah Cole, Angie Duignan, Richard Elliott, Rebecca Fortnum, Róisín Loughrey, Martin Newth, Ans Nys and Jessica Voorsanger - each of whom are fascinated by the child's ability to play, pretend and live through their imagination.

Each inspired by a different aspect of the Museum's collections, the works produced include paintings, drawings, photographs and video installations.

New Book: I Don't Want to Be a Pea! by Ann Bonwill and illustrated by Simon Rickerty

I Don't Want to Be a Pea! by Ann Bonwill and illustrated by Simon Rickerty will be released on January 3, 2012 in the US. It has been available in the UK for a while now under the same title but with a different cover (second one above) and I was curious to see how the fairy tale inspiration worked.

Book description from the publisher for UK edition:

Hugo is in no doubt as to what he and Bella should go as to the Hippo-Bird Fancy Dress Party. They will go as the princess and the pea and he will be the princess (of course!) leaving poor Bella to be the pea. Indignant, Bella refuses. She has a better suggestion - they will go as a mermaid on a rock and she will be the mermaid (of course!) leaving a huffy Hugo to be the rock. Hugo is not happy. But neither is Bella. They just can't decide on a costume and things reach a crisis when they both flounce off saying they don't want to go to the party at all. After time to consider, both Hugo and Bella calm down and (privately) both choose to dress as a pea as a gesture of making it all up to each other. So when they both arrive at the party as peas, Hugo and Bella announce proudly that they are 'two peas in a pod, just as it should be' underlining the message of the book that friendship is all about give and take. With wonderfully absurd illustrations from new talent Simon Rickerty and a great read-aloud text, this is a made-for-sharing picture book.

US edition:

Hugo Hippo has a best bird. Bella Bird has a best hippo. They make a perfect pair, and they are going to the Fairy Tale Dress-Up party together, of course: Hugo will be the princess, and Bella will be the pea.

No, wait: Bella will be the princess, and Hugo will be the pea….No, the first way. No, the second way. Wait, now, which way? If these two pals can't agree on who will be the pea, their party plan will fall to pieces. But when a couple of surprise compromises lead to a new costume solution, Hugo and Bella learn that sometimes it feels better to make someone else happy than to get your own way—and that when it comes to friendship, they're two peas in a pod.

Hugo and Bella mirror real-life give-and-take: Hippos and birds have symbiotic relationships in nature!

I received a review copy through Amazon and wrote a review for it this week. If you read it, you'll see I liked the book, but didn't love it. It has a spoiler, so be warned.

Hippo and Bird are going to the Bird-Hippo Fairy Tale Fancy Dress Party, but they can't decide on their costumes. Each wants to be a pair in which he/she is the starring role while the other is the supporting cast. For example: Bird is the mermaid and Hippo is the mermaid's rock. The dialogue is cute. The illustrations are cute. But somehow it is still lacking. I don't know if there is enough there for most children to understand the ending. And some of the spreads don't convey the message as well as one would hope--one spread doesn't even illustrate, just has paint splattered pages that don't hold interest at all.

*SPOILER*

They go as the Happy Ending. (They both end up being peas.)

I love the concept and the idea of the ending, but I am not so sure it is easily understood by the preschool set other than that both agree being friends is the most important part of the party. I don't think I am underestimating kids either since I know adults who won't quite "get it." I liked the book. I am keeping it. But I am not in love with it. In the end, it's really a 3 1/2 star book for me. It was released last year in the UK and I was eager to see it and happy to get a review copy, but perhaps I just expected too much from it.

And, as another reviewer noted, for reading aloud, using distinctive voices for the characters really helps. Most of the children in my life will enjoy it if I deliver it well and discuss it afterwards, but I don't think it will be their new favorite either.

New Book: There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea by Jennifer Ward

There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Lee Calderon was released a few months ago. Yes, it's another riff on the children's song, but this one uses fairy tale related items. It's zany and silly.

From the publisher:

A wacky fairy tale–inspired version of the popular song "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."

And here's a book trailer: