Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales, written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2017. $23.99 ages 7 and up

"At this, the princess felt heavy and sorry for herself. The meat tasted like cardboard. The roasted apples were sour, the potatoes dry and mealy. She thought of the frog, with cake on his bloated froggy-face, and felt that dinner with her father was even duller than a day with her ladies-in-waiting. She jumped as soon as she heard a knock at the door ... "

I have always loved fairy tales. Mom read them when we were kids, we did the same for our own kids, I read them when I was teaching and working in the library, and I read them now to my granddaughters. At one time, I had more than one hundred different versions of fairy tales, original and alternate. Some of my favorites from that large group still have a place on my 'keepers' shelf. Now, I have another to add to it.

There are seven tales here. I do hope that you are familiar with most, and that you have shared them with your children in other classic versions. Emily Jenkins has added a subtitle: A New Book of Old Tales. She is absolutely right about that. Most action occurs in or near a frozen forest where there are witches, and regal beauty, and trickery and comeuppance. They are easily recognized by those who have shared many different versions. I think it so unfortunate that too many of our kids have never heard these classic stories; but, that is for another time and place.

As a group of tales, they relate to one another in subtle ways. Is the huntsman sent to murder Snow White and bring back her heart the same man who assists Red Riding Hood and her grandmother in escaping from the ravenous wolf's stomach? I wonder. Ms. Jenkins, through her impressive storytelling, will have listeners and readers thinking about the ethics of some of the characters. The changes she makes do nothing to change the stories and their results, she just lets her audience know the characters in a deeper way.

Retold in carefully constructed and perfect language, Ms. Jenkins' voice shines through in each one. In an author's note she tells us:

"I wrote them simply as I myself want to tell them, using the storytelling techniques I have at my disposal. After all, before people began writing them down, these tales were passed down orally. They changed a bit with each new teller. I wrote to bring out what's most meaningful to me in the stories, and in that way I believe I am part of a tradition that goes back to the earliest tellers of these tales."

Each one ends in goodness; they also contain the often scary elements of these tales as they have been told through the centuries. You will have to decide when is a good time to share each one. There  is evil, hunger (for the wolf and for Hansel and Gretel), poverty, and humor. Engaging and
definitely entertaining, you won't be sorry you chose to read it. A watercolor and ink drawing by Rohan Daniel Eason provides an invitation to each tale. They set the tone and provide context for the story to come.

Soon, if children have had enough experience with hearing these classic tales, they will want to try retelling them for themselves.

Bravo!