A fairy tale retold!

I am an avid reader and love to find unique books that contain stories that draw me back over and over again. One of my favorite books, The Solace of Leaving Early, is highlighted and dog-eared from numerous reads over the years.

Both my husband and I are keen on fostering a love of books in our daughter, so we’ve read to her every day since we first learned I was pregnant. The dedication has paid off as she spends upwards of thirty minutes at a time leafing through her books and “reading” to herself. Because she is so clearly into books I am always on the look out for books that contain not only a riveting story (hey, why can’t we be entertained too?) but also visually interesting pictures. If the book doesn’t meet my standards (listen, my kid is only 10 months old, she doesn’t get a say…yet!) then I don’t bother bringing it home.

Recently, I became aware of the English author Lauren Child. (For those of you with older children you might know her from the Disney series, Charlie and Lola.) Her stories are exceptionally well written, clever and penned with just the right amount of sarcasm and wit to keep adult readers enthralled while young readers howl with delight. I checked out four of her books from our local library and have read them to my daughter. Each book is twenty pages+, which is hard for a little one, let alone my husband, to sit through, but the cadence of the words and the unique illustrations kept her in my lap, and my husband on the couch, eagerly awaiting the turn of each page.

Of the four books we’ve read thus far, my favorite is The Princess and the Pea. (What girl doesn’t like a good princess tale?) For this retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Child partnered with portrait photographer, Polly Borland, to create a 3D world (miniature scale). Child has done a great job of contemporizing the tale with humor and the illustrations (all hand crafted) are clearly a labor of love.

The “sets” were created by first cutting out panels from cereal boxes and then painting them; the furniture in each set was either dollhouse furniture or made by Child. Each character was an elaborately fashioned paper doll. Borland then photographed each “set”, which lends a special air to each page. (You can read more about the book and how it was created on Lauren Child’s website.)

I can only imagine the love affair I would have had with this book when I was a child; it would have definitely become a staple in my bedtime reading! If you know of a little one obsessed with princesses The Princess and the Pea is a must for Her Highness’ personal library!

Filed under Children's books |