Title: Fairytales for Feisty Girls
Author: Susannah McFarlane
Published: September 2018
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Readership: Children
Genre: Fairytales
Rating: ★★★★★
RRP: $24.99 AUD
I received a copy of Fairytales for Feisty Girls from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Renowned girl hero and feisty author Susannah McFarlane presents an illustrated collection of ’tilted’ fairytales featuring girls with smarts.
Girls can rescue themselves – just watch Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Thumbelina create their own happily ever afters in this beautiful and emboldening bedtime book.
A glorious treasury for young girls – and boys – featuring artwork from four leading Australian illustrators: Beth Norling, Claire Robertson, Lucinda Gifford and Sher Rill Ng.
I’ve been reading a lot of fairytales and fairytale retellings lately and Fairytales for Feisty Girls has been a collection that’s captured my imagination.
First of all, it needs to be addressed, that there is a huge emphasis in the book world at the moment on marketing book collections aimed at girls. The reasons behind it are food for thought on another day, but I will point out that just because this book is titled Fairytales for Feisty Girls does not mean it will not appeal to boys. Why?
Simply put, these stories are fantastic.
From a Rapunzel who is clever and clearly a thinker and a budding engineer, to Red Riding Hood who’s not fooled by a wolf who thinks he’s being clever, to Cinderella and a prince who’s not afraid of hard work and Thumbelina, a little girl who’s persistent and never gives up, there’s something in this collection for everyone.
Beautifully written, easy to understand stories, coupled with wonderfully illustrations, Fairytales for Feisty Girls will inspire bouts of imagination as children dream of what they can achieve when they put their minds to it, and teaches that no one is reliant on anyone else to find their happily ever after (in whatever form it takes).
It’s hard to pick a favourite story from the collection, but if I had to I’d say it was Cinderella because it’s wholly unexpected, but charming ending.
Overall, this is a charming collection of stories that are clearly recognisable, but with subtle changes that make a world of difference.
Noveltea Corner 