Brave Red, Smart Frog

Brave Red, Smart Frog
Emily Jenkins
Rohan Daniel Eason. Illustrator
Candlewick, 2017 94 pages
Grades 3-6
Fairy Tales

Jenkins presents new versions of seven classic fairy tales. The stories include Snow White, The Frog Prince, Three Wishes, Toads and Pearls, Red Riding Hood, The Three Great Noodles, and Hansel and Gretel. All are set in the fairy tale past and stick closely to that with which we are familiar. Whimsical full-color illustrations, contributed by Rohan Daniel Eason, introduce each tale in this beautifully designed collection. An author's note at the end explains that Jenkins is a student and lover of traditional fairy tales. She has striven to not paraphrase a particular folklorist from the past, but take all the versions of the traditional tales and make them her own, asking questions to flesh-out parts of the stories that she has always wondered about. In doing so, she is contributing a collection that reflects its oral roots and intention.

I am a great fan of fairy tales and, like Jenkins, have delved into many such collections throughout my lifetime. I enjoyed this new volume very much. It presents stories that may seem overexposed to adults, such as myself, yet will be fresh to young readers, who no longer have ready access to traditional non-Disneyfied fairy tales. The book is thin with wide margins, an inviting layout and an enticing cover. The end papers and color palette will draw readers in, exposing a new generation to these timeless tales. I love Jenkins’ selection of stories, some more common than others. Toads and Pearls, which I know of as Toads and Diamonds, is one of my favorites. The Three Great Noodles, which I am familiar with as The Three Sillies and is a little different than the versions I know, is still true to the spirit of the more common versions and will familiarize children to the old fashioned term "noodle". The violence of the original stories is present, yet not grotesquely overdone and the original intent of the story is respected. Some aspects of certain stories carry-over to further tales linking the individual stories together. Even though the volume is thin, Jenkins does not cheap-out on vocabulary and introduces young readers to new terms, unfamiliar magical creatures, and some challenging vocabulary. An obvious read aloud and a great gift-giving selection, this book will be welcomed for both home and classroom use. Here's to hoping that Jenkins pulls together a second volume!