Yes, the new queer-inclusive kids’ books just keep rolling! Check out these new fairy tales and see what it means to live queerily ever after!
Cinderelliot: A Scrumptious Fairytale, by Mark Ceilley and Rachel Smoka-Richardson, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis (Running Press Kids): In this tasty riff on the classic story, Cinderelliot is a young man who loves to bake, but is stuck doing so for his demanding and ungrateful stepsister and stepbrother. When Prince Samuel announces a baking competition to choose a new palace baker and “win a place in the prince’s heart and home,” Cinderelliot’s siblings insist he make them pastries they can pass off as their own. Enter Ludwig, his fairy godfather (in a purple plaid suit and pink shirt). Cinderelliot makes it to the ball; he and the Prince bond over their shared love of chocolate … only for the clock to begin striking 12. Cinderelliot rushes off, leaving his chef’s hat behind. Ultimately, though, they have their happily ever after in this sweet and tasty tale. Full review.
Mighty Red Riding Hood: A Fairly Queer Tale, by Wallace West (Little, Brown): In this gender-bent retelling of the classic fairy tale, little Leroy LeRouge’s favorite coat is a frilly red riding hood that his Moo Moo (grandmother) gave him. When a wolf starts to harass him about wearing girls’ clothing, Leroy tells him, “I’m mighty when I wear this,” and refuses to be cowed. (Or wolfed.) He then takes the high road, extending an offer of friendship to the creature. Wolf, Moo Moo, and Leroy bond over a shared dislike of Leroy’s mother’s atrocious muffins, which all assert are “nastier than poo on a shoe.” Silly and scatological, but with a lesson that kids just might remember because of that. Full review.
Want more queer-inclusive fairy tales? Filter my database with the “Fairy tale/fantasy” tag.