Do you like fairy tales? They are a favorite in my house. Hazel LOVES them. Today I am going to share some new versions that have come out this past year, and one even includes some math lessons!! We will start with two Hello Kitty books. The first is Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection Thumbelina.
In this story Hello Kitty gets invited by the prince to a dance. Her mother makes her a new dress. Hello Kitty dreams of becoming Thumbelina the night before the dance. It is a quick version of the story and doesn't go into all the traditional stories, but it is fun.
We also have Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In this tale Hello Kitty is having a picnic with her sister when she sees a squirrel go down a hole saying, "I'm late." She has to drink a special drink to get through the door, but has a wonderful adventure and not nearly as scary as the traditional one. She has tea with the squirrel and his friends and then helps solve the case of the Queen of Hearts missing tarts by remember the nursery rhyme. It is another cute book based on the traditional story but shorter and friendlier.
Our next book is Jack and the Beanstalk illustrated by Ed Bryan. This is in the Nosy Crow Fairy Tale series. This series is meant to introduce younger children to traditional fairy tales. The pictures are colorful and friendly and the words are simple and child-friendly. This version of Jack and the Beanstalk follows the classic with a few twists. Jack meets a mouse that tells him about the giant, but Jack continues. He helps the cook who repays him with where the giant keeps his stolen gold. Jack helps a frog who repays him with where the magic goose is. Then he helps a baby dragon who tells him where the giant keeps the golden harp. The golden harp however does not want to be taken and tricks Jack. Through most of the book the giant is sleeping or not in the room. It is only at the end that the reader sees the giant awake. It is a fun and friendly version of the classic story with a few more life lessons in it.
Our next book is also a Nosy Crow Fairy Tale. It is Little Red Riding Hood also illustrated by Ed Bryan.
In this tale, Little Red Riding Hood looks like she is wearing a red hoodie. She stops on the way to pick daisies, gather acorns and help a bear gather honey. She makes it to her grandmother's house and the Big Bad Wolf is there disguised as her grandmother. She is able to use the daisies, acorns and honey to defeat the Big Bad Wolf. Then she and her grandmother get to enjoy the treats Little Red Riding Hood brought from home. Again this version is not as scary although the Big Bad Wolf does threaten to eat Little Red Riding Hood. It is a fun version for more sensitive children.
Our last fairy tale for today is a new take on Cinderella. It is Twinderella: A Fractioned Fairy Tale by Corey Rosen Schwartz and illustrated by Deborah Marcero. This book is released on September 5, 2017.
Do you know that Cinderella has a twin sister? Her name is Tinderella and she loves math! They each had to do half the chores that their stepmother gave them. They also had to share their food and bed so each would get half. When the fairy godmother shows up they each get half the bracelets, trinkets, blushes and bows as well as the coach to share. The prince fell for both of them. Well the tale goes along the classic, but of course now there are two girls and only one prince. A prince cannot be divided in half, so the godmother helps out by making a twin. The twin prince was a whiz at math and Tinderella fell for him immediately. Talk about a fun twist and of course it is also a great introduction to fractions and halves!
The book comes with a poster in the back. The back of the poster has math problems to go with this fun story.
So if you are looking for some fun and child-friendly fairy tales, be sure to check out these new versions! Enjoy!!
