Fairy Tales Retold

Hungry for Once Upon a Time..., but craving a twist? Here are some picture books from recent years that might satisfy.

Updated January 12, 2023
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The little mermaid
Pinkney, Jerry
Paper Book
In this captivating reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's classic, Caldecott medalist and bestselling artist Jerry Pinkney conjures a poignant friendship story and an epic tale of redemption -- the definitive new version for our time. Melody, the littlest sea...
Little Red Riding Hood and the Dragon
Compestine, Ying
Paper Book
Award-winning author Ying Compestine reimagines the classic fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood," from a Chinese perspectiveBy now, you have probably heard the old folk tale about a girl in a red cape.The truth is that the story took place here in China, there wasn't a woodsman, and I, the gentle...
Jo Bright and the Seven Bots
Underwood, Deborah.
Paper Book
A bot-building princess engineers her own happy ending in this futuristic fairytale, a follow-up to the acclaimed Interstellar Cinderella. Once upon a planetoid surrounded by her friends, a girl, Jo Bright, loved building bots ...
Little Red and the Big Bad Editor
Rector, Rebecca Kraft/ McCloskey, Shanda (ILT)
Paper Book
In this clever and playful fractured fairy tale picture book, the Big Bad Wolf is so distracted by Little Red's poorly written thank you note to her grandmother that he keeps missing the chance to eat her! Once upon a time, Little Red received a bold new cape from her Granny. She...
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Barnett, Mac.
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestseller! The MOMENTOUS debut of a groundbreaking Fairy Tale series -- a brilliantly crafted, hilarious twist on this beloved classic, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, from renowned, award-winning, and New York Times bestselling duo and...
The real dada mother goose: a treasury of complete nonsense
Scieszka, Jon
Paper Book
The classic nursery rhymes we know and love--upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds--as only Jon Scieszka could stage them Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism's rejection of reason and rational thinking, and...
Arab fairy tale feasts : a literary cookbook
Alrawi, Karim
Paper Book
Arab Fairy Tale Feasts is the latest title in the highly-praised Fairy Tale Feasts Collection, a creative series that folds enchanting folk tales into cookbooks of kid-friendly recipes. Award-winning writer and storyteller, Karim Alrawi, draws on his deep knowledge of Arab culture to create original...
The little wooden robot and the log princess
Gauld, Tom
Paper Book
A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book of the Year   In this fresh new fairy tale, a wooden robot embarks on a quest to find his missing sister-- making for a memorable contemporary bedtime story in acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first...
Batman tales : once upon a crime
Fridolfs, Derek
Paper Book
Gotham City is filled with stories--of heroes and of villains, of police and criminals, of families both lost and found. But the enchanted short stories in BATMAN TALES are brought to life with a classic fairy-tale twist that will fill you with wonder. Once upon a crime in Gotham...
Reading Beauty
Underwood, Deborah
Paper Book
An empowering tale for all kids, Reading Beauty features fun, rhyming text, loveable characters, and a heartwarming ending that will keep young minds entertained. A irrepressible fairy tale retelling that is sure to charm readers of all ages: When a fairy's curse--a...
Juno Valentine and the magical shoes
Chen, Eva
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller! Featured in Oprah Magazine's Holiday Gift GuideRecommended by Rachael Ray as the perfect holiday giftFeatured in InStyle's Holiday Gift Guide Juno Valentine's favorite shoes don't light up. They...
Interstellar Cinderella
Underwood, Deborah
Paper Book
Once upon a planetoid, amid her tools and sprockets, a girl named Cinderella dreamed of fixing fancy rockets.   With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball--but when the prince's ship has...
Kai and the Monkey King
Todd-Stanton, Joe
Paper Book

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