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
In Little Red Riding Hood and the Dragon, award-winning author Ying Chang Compestine reimagines the classic fairy tale from a Chinese perspective, filled with action and humor--with stunning color illustrations by Joy Ang. By now, you have...
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...
It's Not the Three Little Pigs
Funk, Josh/ Taylor, Edwardian (ILT)
Paper Book
Meet the three (ahem--four!) little pigs as they convince the narrator to tell a slightly different version of their fairy tale: First, there's Alan, the one pig in the bunch who is actually a builder. He's got a BIG problem with building a home out of flimsy straw. Next, there's Alfred, who...
Tortoise and Hare : a fairy tale to help you find balance
Verde, Susan
Paper Book
Once upon a time there were two neighbors, Hare and Tortoise. Although they lived side by side, they did things very differently. Hare did everything quickly and energetically. But she was so busy that she didn't always pay attention to the things-or people-around her. Some might say...
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...
Little Red and the cat who loved cake
Lehman, Barbara
Paper Book
A highly visual fractured-fairy-tale retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (and a cat who loves cake) from Caldecott Honor-winner Barbara Lehman. With simple picture bubbles and pictograms, this is perfect for budding graphic novel readers. Little Red has baked a cake with...
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...
Blancaflor : the hero with secret powers : a folktale from Latin America
Spiegelman, Nadja, author.
Paper Book
One of the New York Times Best Children's Books of 2021 A Children's Book about finally being seen. Blancaflor, a superb graphic storytelling of a classic Latin American folktale, showcases the invisible labor of women and the contributions of Indigenous...
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...
Tales of brave and brilliant girls from around the world
Cook, Lan
Paper Book
Here are traditional tales from every corner of the globe, all featuring bold and clever heroines who battle dragons, fight sea serpents or save their village from monstrous thieves. This is a sequel to the best-selling title Forgotten Fairy Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls. Diverse range of...
Sootypaws : a Cinderella story
Rudy, Maggie
Paper Book
With intricate dioramas, Maggie Rudy's Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story retells the classic fairy tale--with a modern twist! Sootypaws the mouse lives with her stepmother and sisters, who are rats in all senses of the word. But with a little help from her woodland friends,...
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 mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to...
Leo and the Gorgon's Curse: Brownstone's Mythical Collection 4
Todd-Stanton, Joe
Paper Book
The fourth title in Joe Todd-Stanton's Brownstone's Mythical Collection series ventures into the world of Ancient Greek mythology. For readers not yet old enough for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. Full of dangerous challenges, cunning monsters,...
Kai and the Monkey King
Todd-Stanton, Joe
Paper Book
When Kai grows tired of her bookish mum not being adventurous enough for a Brownstone, she decides to seek out the mischievous and rebellious Monkey King - who she's always been told to stay away from. Will he bring her the adventure she craves, or will he cause her more trouble than he's worth?<...
Marcy and the riddle of the sphinx
Todd-Stanton, Joe
Paper Book
Kids will love this exciting excavation of ancient Egyptian myths as they follow along with the clever Marcy on a quest to save her dad from the belly of the sphinx! Many years have passed since the tale of Arthur and the Golden Rope, and Arthur is now a world-famous adventurer....
Arthur and the golden rope
Todd-Stanton, Joe
Paper Book
Imagine a vault so cavernous that it could contain all the world's greatest treasures and relics, from mummified remains of ancient monarchs to glistening swords brandished by legendary warriors. Who could be in charge of such a vault and how did he come into possession of such a unique...

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