Bethan Woollvin has made a name for herself by reinventing classic fairy tales for a modern audience.
Her debut book Little Red won the Macmillan Prize for Illustration in 2014 thanks to its bold design and clever twist on the tale, while her equally cool follow up Rapunzel won her legions of fans.
As her third book, Hansel & Gretel, is published, we asked Bethan to pick her five favourite books with a fairy tale theme…
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith. £7.99 (paperback), Puffin
“One of my absolute favourites and the book which inspired me the most to write my own fairy tales. It’s dark, hilarious and still sits on my bookshelf today.”
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. £7.99 (paperback), Puffin
“I think I was only about six years old when my grandad first read this book to me, which I instantly adored. I must have read it a thousand times, and it’s another book which remains on my bookshelf!”
Check out the very first Roald Dahl books for babies and toddlers
The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton. £6.99 (paperback), Walker
“I’m not entirely sure it counts as a fairy tale but I find Kate Beaton’s comics absolutely hilarious, and I was so pleased that she finally created a picture book. It features a strong female lead, so naturally I bought eight copies for all the children in my family!”
Read our review of King Baby by Kate Beaton
Nibbles the Book Monster by Emma Yartlet. £7.99 (paperback), Little Tiger Press
“My little sister particularly enjoys this book, as it’s SO clever, and a great way to introduce fairy tales to little ones in a really creative way.”
Rapunzel by Melissa Castrillon.
“This is a wordless concertina book, that is cleverly illustrated on the length of Rapunzel’s hair. And if that doesn’t already sound amazing, she screen printed the entire thing!”
Hansel & Gretel by Bethan Woollvin is out now. £11.99 (hardback), Two Hoots. Find out more about Bethan’s work at bethanwoollvin.com
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