Hayley Recommends: A Fairytale Revolution ~ the perfect gift

This month Vintage have released their exciting ‘A Fairytale Revolution’ collection, here to ‘remix’ four much loved classic fairy tales with their revivals of Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Bluebeard and the Ugly Duckling. The stories have been adapted by contemporary authors Rebecca Solnit, Jeanette Winterson, Malorie Blackman and Kamila Shamsie. Rather than reinvent the stories, each author uses themes and elements from the original tale to explore more contemporary topics, or to reimagine how these stories could approach their themes if they were written today. Solnit’s ‘Cinderella Liberator’ looks at the importance of kindness and agency, while Winterson’s ‘Hansel and Greta’ explores environmentalism and greed. Blackman’s ‘Blueblood’ discusses love and trust, and Shamsie’s ‘Duckling’ looks at difference and the importance of accepting love. The writers all bring something of their own work to each story, making the tales feel unique to each other. While in places the stories feel closer to those from the Brothers Grimm than a Disney adaptation, they are all still charming and sensitive in their approach to important topics.

The books all have gorgeous and vibrant front covers and illustrations from Laura Barrett, whose brightly coloured silhouettes of the characters and scenery give a modern twist to the traditional fairytale illustration style. Arthur Rackham’s original illustrations from the 1919 retelling of Cinderella by C. S. Evans are used for the silhouettes in Solnit’s ‘Cinderella Liberator’ as Solnit was inspired to adapt the story of Cinderella after finding a loose page of one of Rackham’s illustrations in a sale at a library. She had intended to give the illustration as a present to her niece, who is coincidentally called Ella.

At the end of each story there is a short passage from the writer discussing the inspiration for their adaptation, as well as what the process has meant to them. I think this is an interesting touch and provides insight into the work that has gone into each retelling.

I think these books, both individually and as a set, would make a wonderful gift for any child, either as their first introduction to these iconic stories, or as a way for them to explore a different interpretation of a story they may already love.