Snow White in New York by Fiona French (New York)
A novel inspired by Little Women, set around MANCHESTER
5 Fairy Tale Picture Books from Around the World
19th February 2021
Many Fairy Tale books are in Picture Book format. Here we recommend a few of them – 5 Fairy Tale Picture Books from around the world.
Cinderella of the Nile by Beverly Naidoo, illustrated by Marjan Vafaeian (Egypt)
In this earliest-known version of Cinderella, a rosy-cheeked girl called Rhodopis is abducted by bandits from her home in Greece and enslaved in Egypt. Although she finds friends, she remains unhappy, until one day the gift of a pair of beautiful slippers leads her to the King of Egypt.
Beautifully retold by the award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, this earliest-known version of Cinderella is brought to life for the modern- day reader. Rhodopis is a Greek girl who is sold into slavery by bandits and taken to Egypt. Along the way she becomes friends with the storyteller Aesop and a host of playful animals. Her master gives her a pair of beautiful rose-red slippers, making three other servants jealous. But when Horus, the falcon, sweeps in to steal her slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt.
The first in our ‘One Story, Many Voices’ series, this ancient story of Cinderella finds its echo in fairy tales all over the world.
Snow White in New York by Fiona French (New York)
This is the tale of Snow White, transposed to New York in the 1920s. Snow White’s wicked stepmother uses her position of influence in the city’s underworld to contract the killing of Snow White. But the hired gun cannot shoot Snow White and abandons her instead to wander the streets. She stumbles into a club where the seven jazz-men take pity on her and she joins their band. A reporter who hears her sing propels her into the headlines . . . but her fame puts her once again in the sights of her evil stepmother. She is poisoned with a cocktail cherry. A shocked city mourns the death of the beautiful and talented Snow White but as her coffin is carried up the church steps by the grief-stricken jazz-men, Snow White’s eyes open and her gaze is met by the reporter. They fall in love and live happily ever after.
Fiona French’s iconic re-imagining of a classic fairy tale, with stunning Art Deco illustrations, won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1986.
The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora (Africa)
When a prince sets out to find a princess to marry, he soon discovers this is not a simple task. There is no shortage of so-called princesses, but how can he tell whether or not they are what they claim to be? Then one night a great storm rages, there comes a knock on the palace gate – and the prince’s life is never the same again.
The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by David Roberts (China)
Ming Da is only nine years old when he becomes the emperor of China, and his three advisors take advantage of him by stealing his stores of rice, gold, and precious stones. But Ming Da has a plan. With the help of his tailors, he comes up with a clever idea to outsmart his devious advisors: He asks his tailors to make “magical” new clothes for him. Anyone who is honest, the young emperor explains, will see the clothes’ true splendor, but anyone who is dishonest will see only burlap sacks. The emperor dons a burlap sack, and the ministers can’t help but fall for his cunning trick.
Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Jill Schwarz (India)
In a hot, hot country, ringed with mountains on one side and jungle on the other, lives a princess called Cinnamon. Her eyes are made of pearls, which means that she is blind. And, for reasons her parents the Rajah and Rani cannot fathom, she will not talk. So they offer a reward to anyone who can teach Cinnamon to speak. People travel from far and wide to attempt it, but nothing works. Until a mighty tiger, huge and fierce, prowls into their palace and announces that he is here to teach the girl-cub to talk…
Enjoy your Fairy Tale Picture Books!
Fern, TripFiction’s Kid’s Lit Writer in Residence
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