New Book: Far Out Fairy Tales Compendium

Far Out Fairy Tales is officially released today on April Fool's Day. The first Far Out Fairy Tales were released individually back in February with the four titles listed below. Two more titles were released in early 2016. Now the first four tales--and another unknown fifth tale according to the cover, but not the description--are available in a compendium. These are fairy tales with some science fiction inspiration, too.

Book description for Far Out Fairy Tales:

What do you get when classic fairy tales are twisted about, turned inside out, and reworked for the graphic novel format? Far Out Fairy Tales! Discover what Snow White would be like if she were raised by robots. Find out how Cinderella's story plays out when she walks the path of the ninja. Play along when three billy goats named Gruff get stuck inside a video game. Chase down the Big Bad Wolf with the help of a superpowered Red Riding Hood! Each fairy tale revision holds true to the spirit of the original while adding a modern twist to the classic tales we know and love. Experience fairy tales like never before in this innovative series of full-color comic books for kids!

Ninja-rella: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Joey Comeau (Author), Omar Lozano (Illustrator)

Book description:

Cinderella's stepmother and two stepsisters treat her like dirt. Each and every day, they force her to clean their clothes, cook their meals, and only give her rags to wear and crumbs to eat. But each night, in secret and in shadows, Cinderella trains to be a ninja! More than anything, Cinderella yearns to become the Prince's personal bodyguard. When the opportunity to prove her worth to the Prince finally arrives in the form of an invitation to a royal costume ball, Cinderella's stepmother won't let her go! But this time around, Ninja-rella isn't going to take ""no"" for an answer . . .

Red Riding Hood, Superhero: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Otis Frampton (Author, Illustrator)

Book description:

While taking a tour of Area 54 with her grandmother, the President of the United States, little Ruby Topper discovers a mysterious little alien carrying a red hood. When Ruby dons the crimson cape and cowl, it grants her AMAZING SUPERPOWERS! But will her newfound abilities be enough to save the White House -- and her grandmother -- from the rampaging Big Bad Wolf-Bot?

Snow White and the Seven Robots: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Louise Simonson (Author), Jimena Sanchez S. (Illustrator)

Book description:

Far, far away, on a distant planet called Techworld, a little girl named Snow White is born. Created by the planets smartest minds to be the perfect scientist, Snow immediately shows a knack for working with electronics. The Queen, fearing for her crown, exiles Snow White so she cannot grow up and take the Queens place as the most intelligent person on the planet. However, Snow White's willingness to help those in need -- especially the downtrodden robots of Techworld -- earns her many friends, and they are all quite eager to help her cause.

Super Billy Goats Gruff: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Sean Tulien (Author), Fern Cano (Illustrator)

Book description:

Once upon a time, three billy goats named Gruff were traveling to the hillside to snack on some green grass -- when they suddenly find themselves trapped inside a video game! The good news: the three billy goat brothers become SUPER billy goats! One becomes a Warrior, one becomes a Ninja, and one becomes a Wizard. The bad news: the green field of grass is gone -- and in its place is Hillside Castle, a dangerous dungeon filled with creepy-crawlies and fantastical foes! Can the goats make their way through the castle to get their grass -- or will the toothsome troll named Final Boss feast on them for his lunch?

Family Moment: The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mary Finch and Roberta Arenson

A few years ago I wrote about sharing a favorite book with my niece Kensie at Three Billy Goats Gruff Toys and My Favorite Book Version. She still enjoys the story sometimes but her brother Clark has taken over biggest fan status. I wrote about my storytime adventures with him a little last week at Family Moment: The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon, but he also surprised me with this one--he actually surprised the entire family since his grandparents, Mom, and Uncle John were in the room, too, albeit mostly doing their own things.

This has been a standard in my book bag for years and particularly with Clark since about last summer when he was 2.5 years old. Again, we hadn't read it in several months and he has other versions in his home library, but not this one. He pulled out the book--The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mary Finch (Author), Roberta Arenson (Illustrator)--and the Manhattan Toy finger puppets set that I have used for storytimes for about 15 years now. The text is perfect for reading aloud and the illustrations suit a larger audience sitting at your feet.

I especially love Finch's text for these lines which are quite fun to sing:

"I'm a troll, from a deep dark hole,
My belly's getting thinner,
I need to eat--and goat's a treat--
So I'll have you for my dinner."

Turns out, Clark does, too! I've read the book several times to him as I mentioned but not in a while. When we got to the Troll's "song" the first time in the book, suddenly Clark was reciting all of the words before I could.

Here's a page:

See, non threatening overall with playful colors although the troll is brown and mean, but not too mean.

In the finger puppet set, the middle goat is a sister, not a brother, which adds to the fun. And while the colors are muted in the page image above, the goat is actually a bright fuschia pink in the book edition I have. I don't know if that has changed in newer editions. So it's a fun version with a fun song that now Clark gets to sing without me when we share the book.

Crafty Friday: Fairy Tale Sewing: 20 Whimsical Toys, Dolls and Softies by Heidi Boyd

Fairy Tale Sewing: 20 Whimsical Toys, Dolls and Softies by Heidi Boyd was released earlier this year.

As always, pictures speak louder than words when it comes to crafts. You can click on the images below to see them larger.

Book description:

Sew your way to happily ever after! Bring story time to life with this collection of imaginative projects. Drawing inspiration from classic fairy tales, author Heidi Boyd adds a modern twist to everything from huggable softies such as the magical Unicorn to interactive toys such as Snow White's Cottage Tote. Sleeping Beauty's Castle Quilt brings sweet dreams to any child's room, and the Rapunzel Pillow is perfect for cuddling and play. Readily available cottons, felts, yarns and embroidery floss plus clear instructions and detailed illustrations make sewing simple and straightforward so you can spend less time sewing and more time enjoying your favorite fairy tales.

Far Out Fairy Tales: Graphic Novel Fairy Tales for Young or Young at Heart Readers

So the Far Out Fairy Tales was released back in February with the four titles listed below. Two more titles will be released in early 2016 and a compendium of several of the tales later in 2016. These are fairy tales with some science fiction inspiration, too.

Ninja-rella: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Joey Comeau (Author), Omar Lozano (Illustrator)

Book description:

Cinderella's stepmother and two stepsisters treat her like dirt. Each and every day, they force her to clean their clothes, cook their meals, and only give her rags to wear and crumbs to eat. But each night, in secret and in shadows, Cinderella trains to be a ninja! More than anything, Cinderella yearns to become the Prince's personal bodyguard. When the opportunity to prove her worth to the Prince finally arrives in the form of an invitation to a royal costume ball, Cinderella's stepmother won't let her go! But this time around, Ninja-rella isn't going to take ""no"" for an answer . . .

Red Riding Hood, Superhero: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Otis Frampton (Author, Illustrator)

Book description:

While taking a tour of Area 54 with her grandmother, the President of the United States, little Ruby Topper discovers a mysterious little alien carrying a red hood. When Ruby dons the crimson cape and cowl, it grants her AMAZING SUPERPOWERS! But will her newfound abilities be enough to save the White House -- and her grandmother -- from the rampaging Big Bad Wolf-Bot?

Snow White and the Seven Robots: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Louise Simonson (Author), Jimena Sanchez S. (Illustrator)

Book description:

Far, far away, on a distant planet called Techworld, a little girl named Snow White is born. Created by the planets smartest minds to be the perfect scientist, Snow immediately shows a knack for working with electronics. The Queen, fearing for her crown, exiles Snow White so she cannot grow up and take the Queens place as the most intelligent person on the planet. However, Snow White's willingness to help those in need -- especially the downtrodden robots of Techworld -- earns her many friends, and they are all quite eager to help her cause.

Super Billy Goats Gruff: A Graphic Novel (Far Out Fairy Tales) by Sean Tulien (Author), Fern Cano (Illustrator)

Book description:

Once upon a time, three billy goats named Gruff were traveling to the hillside to snack on some green grass -- when they suddenly find themselves trapped inside a video game! The good news: the three billy goat brothers become SUPER billy goats! One becomes a Warrior, one becomes a Ninja, and one becomes a Wizard. The bad news: the green field of grass is gone -- and in its place is Hillside Castle, a dangerous dungeon filled with creepy-crawlies and fantastical foes! Can the goats make their way through the castle to get their grass -- or will the toothsome troll named Final Boss feast on them for his lunch?

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Rebecca Hu-Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Rebecca Hu-Van Wright (Author) and Ying-Hwa Hu (Illustrator) was released last year. This one is actually an easy reader with beautiful illustrations. My youngest niece is learning to read and loves this tale so this is another temptation on my list to share with her. Here are some pages to share.

Book description:

Three Billy Goats Gruff live on a hillside, and they are always hungry. One day, across the valley they see delicious looking green grass, and they decide to go there. But they have to cross an old bridge guarded by a terrible troll.

Retold in repetitive, and lively language, this classic tale invites young readers to read alone. Award-winning illustrator Ying-Hwa Hu s detailed and soft illustrations enrich the story the billy goats and troll come alive on each page. The humorous tale pulls in readers, curious to see the end, while the repetitive words help beginner readers build vocabulary.