Book picks similar to
Fairly Fairy Tales by Esmé Raji Codell


picture-books
picture-book
fairy-tales
childrens

The Princess and the Pea


Rachel Isadora - 2007
    There is no shortage of so-called princesses, but how can he tell whether or not they are what they claim to be? Then one night, a great storm rages, there's a knock on the palace gate, and the prince's life is never the same. Caldecott Honors-winning artist Rachel Isadora exquisitely illustrates this retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and takes readers to a beautiful African setting--a first for the ?true story? of a tiny pea that changed everything.

Interstellar Cinderella


Deborah Underwood - 2015
    With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball--but when the prince's ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.

Rumpelstiltskin


Paul O. Zelinsky - 1986
    Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking." --New York Times Book Review"Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light." -- School Library Journal

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale


John Steptoe - 1987
    Who will the king choose?Award-winning artist John Steptoe’s rich cultural imagery of Africa earned him the Coretta Scott King Award for Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. The book also went on to win the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. This stunning story is a timeless treasure that readers will enjoy for generations.Coretta Scott King Award for IllustrationCaledcott HonorReading Rainbow BookBoston Globe-Horn Book

Clever Jack Takes the Cake


Candace Fleming - 2010
    What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake.Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong?Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas, creators of the bestselling picture book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, have teamed up again to bring us a modern fairy tale starring a determined boy and a story-loving princess with a good sense of humor. While girls will fall for a story featuring a princess’s birthday party, Jack’s adventures with trolls, bears, and gypsies make this the perfect read for young boys as well—and ideal for storytime.

Stone Soup


Ann McGovern - 1971
    As the pot of water boils with the stone in it, he urges her to add more and more ingredients until the soup is a feast "fit for a king".

Snoring Beauty


Bruce Hale - 2008
    Except for the sarcastic frog narrator, the garlic-scented fairy, and--oh yeah--the princess in this book not only sleeps and snores . . . she's also been turned into a hot-pink and purple dragon!Certain to charm and delight fairy tale fans across the land, this raucous retelling is anything but a snoozer.

Goatilocks and the Three Bears


Erica S. Perl - 2014
    She lived down the road from a family of bears... Goatilocks can't resist sampling first Papa Bear's porridge, then Mama Bear's porridge, then Baby Bear's porridge and his bowl and spoon, too. And it turns out Goatilocks has a taste for chairs and beds as well. Has Goatilocks devoured her way to disaster? What will happen when the Bear family returns home from their walk?This playful adaptation of a favorite fairy tale is full of tummy-rumbling fun.

The Princess and the Pea


Janet Stevens - 1835
    In this rendition a tiger is proven to be a princess.

Help Wanted: Must Love Books


Janet Sumner Johnson - 2020
    She immediately starts interviews to fill the position and is thrilled when her favorite fairy tale characters line up to apply. But Sleeping Beauty can't stay awake, the Gingerbread Man steals her book, and Snow White brings her whole team. Shailey is running out of options. Is bedtime ruined forever?

Little Red's Riding 'Hood


Peter Stein - 2015
    Why, Granny, what big wheels you have!Why, Granny, what big headlights you have!Why, Granny, what a big hood you have!From the sparkplug, creative minds of Peter Stein and Chris Gall comes a full-throttle version of the classic LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD tale that will have everyone revving for more.

Goldie and the Three Hares


Margie Palatini - 2011
    Thethump is Goldilocks herself, who hasfallen down the rabbit hole after beingchased by the Three Bears.(I think you know why those bearswere chasing her.)The Hare family is happy to helpthe girl, who has hurt her foot. But asyou might imagine, Goldie is not a verygood houseguest. She is tough to please,since every chair is too hard, too soft, orotherwise not just right.(If you were the Hares, you mightagree that Goldilocks is loud, obnoxious,and demanding.)But when Goldie is finally comfy-cozyin the Hares’ rabbit hole, how are theyever going to get her to leave?Margie Palatini and Jack E. Davisbring a hilarious, just-right twist to thenursery classic.

The Gingerbread Girl


Lisa Campbell Ernst - 2006
    Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? Let's just say that the ending is sweet for everyone. Ernst's familiar art, here placed against gingham-check backgrounds, utilizes the oversize format to best advantage, with large characters leaping out of their frames. On the cover, the candy-studded Gingerbread Girl with licorice-whip hair stares boldly out at readers. Kids won?t be able to resist following her inside. Booklist

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse


Mac Barnett - 2017
    This is a story about a mouse, and how he got swallowed up by a wolf, and who he met down in its belly, and what happened after that.

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin


Liesl Shurtliff - 2013
    Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse. To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.