In her author’s note, Emily Jenkins explains that her goal was not to reinvent the fairy tales in this collection but rather to simply tell them as she wanted to tell them, using her own voice. Stories such as “Snow White,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Red Riding Hood” feel familiar but fresh, while lesser known tales have slightly altered details: Perrault’s “Toads and Diamonds” becomes “Toads and Pearls,” the folktale “The Three Sillies” becomes “The Three Great Noodles.” (The amusing term “noodle” appears in each story.) Jenkins’s fairy tales have new, funny dialogue, and many share a setting: a frozen forest, where the animals are hungry and (most) humans dare not venture. The characters are more fleshed out than usual, with feelings and motivations that add a degree of nuance to the marvelously told tales. Jenkins’s graceful prose is complemented by the mildly whimsical (yet appropriately ominous) illustrations on each story’s title page. (Ages 7-10)

Step into a wintry forest where seven iconic fairy tales unfold, retold with keen insight and touches of humor.

There once was a frozen forest so cold, you could feel it through the soles of your boots. It was a strange place where some kisses broke enchantments and others began them. Many said witches lived there — some with cold hearts, others with hot ovens and ugly appetites — and also dwarves in tiny houses made of stones. In this icy wood, a stepmother might eat a girl’s heart to restore her own beauty, while a woodcutter might become stupid with grief at the death of his donkey. Here a princess with too many dresses grows spiteful out of loneliness, while a mistreated girl who is kind to a crone finds pearls dropping from her mouth whenever she speaks. With empathy and an ear for emotion, Emily Jenkins retells seven fairy tales in contemporary language that reveals both the pathos and humor of some of our most beloved stories. Charming illustrations by Rohan Daniel Eason add whimsical details that enhance every new reading.