Summer Reading Club Picks: Fantastical Fairy Tales

Today is a super-special day; not only is it the last day of school for many kids in our area, but it is also the start of our Summer Reading Club Program. You can come into either branch to sign up on Beanstack, help decorate the library with mythical creatures, and get an activity bag showing all the activities that are happening at the library this summer.

Not sure what to read? Here are a few book recommendations that you and your whole family can enjoy.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by A. Wolf (1989)

As told To Jon Scieska, Illustrated by Lane Smith.

Everyone feels sorry for the Three Little Pigs. Does anyone stop to hear the wolf’s side of the story? They do not! The wolf sets the story straight (with the help of author Jon Scieska) by stating that he did not mean to eat the three little pigs; he asserts that their deaths were accidents, not intentional, as he went to each of their houses to borrow a cup of sugar to bake a cake for his grandmother.

The illustrations bring the text vividly to life. Readers will find humor in the way the wolf defends himself while he bemoans how he’s been treated unfairly since it was “all a misunderstanding”. This fractured fairy tale will be sure to tickle your funny bone!

The Red Fairy Book, (first published 1890)

Edited by Andrew Lang.

Andrew Lang was a poet and novelist, whose passion was collecting folk and fairy tales from all over the world. Many of these books are divided into different colors, and the tales are sourced from many different countries. The first of these, known as the Blue Fairy Book, was first published in 1889 and was an instant success. He went on to publish 25 books in total, each of different colors, while these book collections are attributed to him, but his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne, as well as others, were the ones to translate and write down the tales into English.

This is a good book for anyone who wants to read many kinds of fairy tales. Many of them have reproduction illustrations from the original print runs of the books. This would be good bedtime reading material for older kids and the adults who like to read to them.

Pig-Boy: A Trickster Tale from Hawai’i

By Gerald McDermott

This book tells the story of the mischievous Pig-Boy, who goes in search of good food to eat. In the process, he gets in trouble first with the King of Hawai’i, and then Pele, the goddess of fire. But he always manages to slip away in the nick of time by turning into something else, as his grandmother instructed him to do. Kids who enjoyed the film Moana (2016) would surely enjoy this book.

The Girl and The Wolf (2019).

Written by Katherena Vermette, Illustrated by Julie Flett.

In this story, a girl goes off to pick berries with her mother. But she wanders off and gets lost. She meets a hungry wolf, who she worries will eat her up. But the wolf helps her to find her way back home to her mother, using skills that she already possesses. A twist on the traditional “Little Red Riding Hood” tale, this feel-good story about the power of resilience, and knowing that you can be brave even if you find yourself in scary, unfamiliar situations. Good for preschool and kindergarten age children.

If you want to read some more books like these with us, why not join us for our Flights of Fantasy story time series? They will occur at the Holland Landing branch every afternoon at 2 pm. You can register through our Eventbrite page here.