Once Upon a Wild Wood by Chris Riddell

Follow along with Little Green Rain Cape as she journeys through the wild wood in this delightful fairy tale mash-up. While on her way to Rapunzel's party, Green meets a slew of enchanting characters like a wolf, a troll and a kind old lady who offers her an apple. Unlike her counterpart Red Riding Hood, Green is much more prepared and aware but that's not enough to prevent her from getting into some sticky situations.

Multiple award-winning illustrator, author and cartoonist Chris Riddell adds fresh charm to classic characters. Lively, upbeat and wonderfully illustrated with humourous details filled with fairy tale references and an inviting die-cut cover makes this picture book a visual treat. With an open ending, readers are encouraged to continue the story and create their own adventures through the wild wood. Recommended for ages 4+.

Amazon
Macmillan Children's Books 2018
Hardcover 32p
12.1" x 9.4"

Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson

Happy new year! It's been a while since my last post but I'm very excited to have discovered a new illustrator. His name is Scott Gustafson. He attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a degree in animation. Scott Gustafson illustrated several children's books such as The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. His work has earned him multiple awards which include the 2015 Spectrum Fantastic Art Grand Master Award.

More recently, he has illustrated three fairy tale books: Classic Fairy Tales, Classic Bedtime Stories and Classic Storybook Fables. As the titles suggests, these are all classic tales mainly from Grimm and Perrault. All three volumes are the same size and quite large too. I like these even more than Grimms' Fairy Tales by Don Daily. Every spread is richly illustrated. Below are some of my favourite illustrations from Classic Fairy Tales; this first volume is the best of the three because it has ten stories whereas the other two books only have eight stories. Also, Gustafson has painted a cover specifically for Classic Fairy Tales. I appreciate that over a duplicate of an internal illustration. The illustrations vary in size; some full page and some as a double page spread but all lush and opulent. The writing is an easy read with its very familiar storylines and large text make it a good choice for beginner readers. All three volumes are in reprint by Artisan Books. One of my copies is published by The Greenwich Workshop which has slightly thicker paper. All volumes come with a dust jacket.

Amazon
Artisan Books 2003
Hardcover 144p
10.8" x 12.2"