Stonewall Award-winning author and illustrator Melanie Gillman here gives the fairy tale genre a makeover. We meet a princess in love with a goose girl—a goose girl with strong feelings about societal change. There’s a giantess whose demand for a yearly sacrifice belies an unexpected nature, a child who must figure out how to banish their old name, a girl who calls on the Goddess of Mishap to stop her marriage to the prince, and even a single mother who finds love. Characters marginalized in traditional tales come to the fore here; there’s a sense of striving for social justice and self-acceptance; and the stories unfold in unexpected ways, with some endings left open for the reader to interpret. Although each story is self-contained, there’s a hint of a longer thread through them.
Despite the updated feminist and queer perspectives, and the inclusion of people of color, Gillman still captures the charming, imaginative feel of classic European fairytale worlds. Their use of colored pencils also gives the illustrations a softness and shading not found in many graphic novels. This is likely to be a popular volume for young readers—and for parents and other adults who want to share the fun and fantastical parts of the classic tales with their kids, but who cringe at the traditional sexism, heteronormativity, and lack of people of color. Happily ever afters, it suggests, just might be possible for everyone.
