Three Classic Children's Stories: Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the… (edition 2010)

Every aspect of this book is stunningly beautiful. From the retelling of each of three fairy tales to the illustrations, to the use of colour, every bit of it is an absolute joy to read. While each element of the whole has been brought together for this particular book from separate origins -- Gorey's illustrations are pre-existing, the colouring added later for this text, Donnelly presumably did not collaborate with Gorey before the latter passed, and the simple fact that these fairy tales have existed in many forms down the ages and this is simply a new iteration -- they work so beautifully all together that were it not for the facts, it would be easy to believe Three Classic Children's Stories was created out of whole cloth.

As usual, Gorey's illustrations at once evoke a wistful sense of the past and provide enough playfulness with the subject matter that they are an absolute delight to view. My very favourites were in "Little Red Riding Hood," where each illustration acts as a vignette that seems to tell a far larger story than merely one short moment out of the larger tale. He is especially adroit in how he poses each figure, and in how so many of the illustrations, the characters appear to be caught in their actions, as if they have become still upon viewing, and will move again once the book is closed and the reading audience has looked away. Another highlight was Gorey's depiction of Rumpelstiltskin, each new pose presented one after another until the overall effect is as if you're viewing the tumble of a court jester across the pages.

The colouring, while, I believe, not originally done by Gorey, is definitely in his spirit. Although they are used with a slightly heavier hand than Gorey's more sparse colouring style, there is enough self-reflexivity in evidence that the colour choices and uses consciously add to the text rather than acting as a simple supporting characteristic. Each fairy tale is beautifully colour-coded: "Little Red Riding Hood," of course, relies strongly on the presence of red; "Jack the Giant-Killer" uses gorgeous touches of green; and "Rumpelstiltskin," the most colourful of all three stories, uses orange to indicate the presence and influence of the title character. All together, the colours both work to make the main characters of each story stand starkly out and to make these fairy tales appealing to children and adults alike.

Although I primarily wanted this book because I'm a fan of Gorey's work, Donnelly's narratives are a welcome joy. He presents the reader with fresh twists on these older tales, fleshing them out in new, interesting ways and injecting a little modern humour alongside. He creates fairy tales which regain some of their original intent, in which they are not just suitable for the ears of children, but adults as well, who will enjoy his artistry with language, sly asides, and subtle subtextual touches. He appears to have a little bit of Gorey in himself as well, as while he is a bit more verbose than Gorey usually is, he knows when to pull back and depict important turns in the plot with one line or two, relying on the audience to follow along with him rather than leading them by the hand. These more stripped-down moments of conflict speak volumes more through their silences than paragraphs and paragraphs would in their place.

All in all, this is an absolutely beautiful book, and one I'm so pleased to have in my collection. I would definitely recommend it to fans of Gorey, to fairy tale readers and collectors, and to parents and children looking for a fresh twist on the classic fairy story. ( )

This is a wonderful collection of classic children's stories. I received the book as a part of the Early Reviewers program. The illustrations are cute and the stories are told well. We liked it!

I received this book from the Early Reviewers Giveaway and was thrilled when I received it! I love fairy tales and I love Gorey's illustrations, so this is the perfect blend of whimsy and fairy tale magic. The book itself is also lovely and definitely a keepsake. ( )

Despite the title, Donnelly & Gorey have not given us a children's book. Rather, the three stories present a sardonic take on the classic tales, though they do end up with the happy endings familiar to many (after the Grimm & Anderson tales were sanitised in modern times). The humour and sarcasm presume familiarity with the originals; without that, the tales are simply somewhat odd or skewed versions. To some extent, that might be the best way to appreciate them.

Donnelly's writing gets stronger between Red Riding Hood (the first) and Rumpelstiltskin (the last). Donnelly shares Gorey's pleasure in outdated and archaic terms and turns of phrase, so they're a good match. Gorey's illustrations are typical of him, though upon first reading, these were decorations more than graphic storytelling: there wasn't anything central to the story in the pictures that was not provided in the text, which is not the case in Gorey's own books. I'll have to read these again, though, as Gorey's contributions usually are quite subtle.

Pomegranate's care is evident in the overall feel of the binding, pages, and clarity of drawings and text (Donnelly's stories are presented in the familiar Gorey font). A very nice book, and a welcome addition to the Gorey collection. ( )

This was a brilliant idea for a book. Republish three classic fairy tales, with text appreciable by today’s children, and illustrate them with Edward Gorey’s drawings. After all, Gorey’s macabre humor is a perfect match for classic stories of the Brothers Grimm, which (let’s face it) have their share of horrific events, even if “good” usually triumphs in the end. In this book from Pomegranate Press, old illustrations by Edward Gorey have been colorized and juxtaposed with “modernized” versions of three classic tales -- “Little Red Riding Hood”, Rumplestiltskin” and “Jack the Giant Killer”. The result is clever and whimsical, and I certainly enjoyed revisiting these stories in the present format. James Donnelly’s text is really quite humorous and fun. I think it wil appeal to children, while the sardonic humor is clearly aimed at adults. And Gorey’s illustrations should appeal to all readers.

Overall, I therefore can recommend this book. However, my appreciation for it is not unqualified. First, while Donnelly’s text has its charm, his versions of the stories are not always an improvement over the original versions. For example, in Little Red Riding Hood, the little girl brings her Grandmother cake and a jar of jam (not cakes and a flask of wine -- apparently young readers of today are too impressionable to hear a tale in which alcohol is mentioned). Further, Little Red is not actually eaten by the wolf; rather, she crawls under the bed and the wolf falls asleep! Then when the woodcutter comes in and cuts open the wolf, out emerges Grandmother, as well as two large bags of gold. They are all rich now, and discuss how they each will spend their newfound wealth. It’s all about money, you see -- so much for the moral and the values of the original story! And remember when Little Red Riding Hood finds the wolf in grandmother’s bed, and exclaims “Oh Grandmother, what big ears you have!” “The better to hear you with my dear” “Grandmother, what big eyes you have!” “The better to see you with my dear” (and so on, with “great big hands” and “great big teeth”). The euphonious refrain, dear to the hearts of generations of children, is ruined by Donnelly’s clumsy attempt to inject cartoonish slapstick humor into the wolf’s replies -- interrupted by Grandma kicking around inside him: (e.g., “The better – OUCH! Dang! to eat yOOF! – to eaUGH! Ow! To, to eat you up!”).

Here’s an example from another story. In the Brothers Grimm version, when Rumplestiltskin is spied dancing in glee around his fire, he sings (in one common translation) :
Today I bake, tomorrow I brew,
The day after that the Queen’s child comes in;
And oh, I am glad, that nobody knew,
That the name I am called is Rumplestiltskin!”

Donnelly replaces this cute rhyme with nonsense that doesn’t scan or rhyme: Away down a hole, away Down Below, Never sorrow over milk that’s spilt! Spin around go to ground, take a baby leave a crown, Just a job o’ work to Rumplestiltskin” Whether that’s an improvement, readers can judge for themselves.

Finally, it is unfortunate that no information is given in the book about the late Edward Gorey’s illustrations, since they are a major reason why many readers will wish to acquire the book. From copyright dates and information on the internet, I gather that the original illustrations date to the early 1970s, and further, that they have been colorized for the sake of this work. Pomegranate Press has printed this book as part of a series of reissues of Gorey’s work, and the paper, binding, and cover are all of superior quality. However, the publisher owed it to readers and to Edward Gorey’s legacy to explain where the original illustrations were published, and ways in which they have been modified for this book.

So in sum: a positive recommendation, but for a book that could and should have been better. Some readers will prefer to dispense with Gorey's wonderful illustrations in favor of the versions of these classic stories that retain the original text. ( )

I loved this book. I got it primarily for the illustrations, which are amazing. The are nicely drawn and have that old fairy tale feel. The font is also a similar style to the illustrations which makes it easy to get absorbed in the stories.
The stories themselves are good. They are interesting enough to read multiple times and are different enough from others renditions. They also aim to appeal to the adult audience by using more humorous language. My only 2 gripes where the moral of Little Red Riding Hood was destoyed by the fact that they found treasure which made them rich. The whole story didn't seem to matter because 'they were rich'. The other was in Jack the Giant-Killer. It said 'Britain was home to a race of giants. Over hundreds of years, men battled these giants, driving them northward: into the Borders, into Scotland'. Scotland is IN Britain.
But overall it was a very good book for a child or an adult reading to a child. ( )

One of my favorite illustrators is Gorey and I immediately signed up to snag this book when it went up on the Libraything Early Reviewers lists.

I was not at all disappointed. The retellings of each of the fairy tales is beautifully done and accompanies the illustrations admirably. The book itself is a treasure and a wonderful gift for anyone who loves his art or has children. Each page is printed on weighty paper with a slick hand-feel that promises to last through several readings and generations. It's obvious that a lot of thought and work was put in to this printing and you and yours will be sure to enjoy it. ( )

While the title of this work”Three Classic Children's Stories” is rather prosaic. What attracted my eye was the fact that the now sadly late Edward Gorey was the illustrator. This not something one would typically expect of Mr. Gorey to execute pictures for a book aimed at the kids. When considering of him I think of the “Amphigoreies” and the various collections of horror stories that he has illustrated in years past.

It comes as a surprise what wonderful book this is. I found the Edward Gorey pictures delightful and well accompanied by the excellent written text by the author James Donnelly. I believe that I can commend this book to all. Especially those who have not yet experienced the unique art of the illustrator.

I love Edward Gorey's art, so signed up straight away for this book when it appeared on the Early Reviewer's list. I hadn't heard of the author, but I figured at least I'd enjoy the illustrations if the stories weren't great.

I'm happy to report that these familiar fairy tales are retold with a sharp wit and pleasing turn of phrase. Jack the Giant Killer is sadly quite short (especially compared to the first and last stories), but this collection is well worth picking up for the stories alone. The Gorey art is a wonderful bonus and goes quite well with these rather macabre stories.

This would make a great addition to any child's library. ( )

When I picked up James Donnelly’s new book titled Three Classic Children’s Stories, I sighed at the prospect of reading yet another rendition of some common fairy tales. However, he tells the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant Killer, and Rumplestiltskin in a clever and engaging way, using humor and an interesting choice of vocabulary that keeps the stories fresh. Edward Gorey’s terrific illustrations adds to the whimsy of this book which will make both children and adults smile. ( )

Ah! Such an amazing collection! The drawings aside (although, they were gorgeous and very much up to Edward Gorey's standards), I loved the writing style of the book. Although it was a little verbose for kids (my little cousins were a little put off by some of the words), I thought it was awesome. I also liked that the heroes/heroines had a little more substance than is usually told with children's stories. I was impressed and I know that I'll likely read it until the spine wears out.

Also! The publisher is a delight! They sent me some stuff about their other works and catalogs and a letter. They're just awesome. Will look forward to hearing from them in the future :D ( )

The stories are Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the Giant-Killer and Rumpelstiltskin. The stories are all very fun retelling of the original stories. Not to dark for young readers, but off kilter enough to be interesting to adults too. The pictures by Gorey (one of my favorites) really make the stories. The pictures are colored in which I found a touch disappointing as I actually prefer his plain black and white work. All in all the stories and pictures here are great fairy tales and well worth reading. ( )

James Donnelly's retelling of these three fairy tales blend both the original stories and Donnelly's wit into an enjoyable book. Unlike some updated fairy tales, Donnelly stays true to the traditional fairy tale - Red Riding Hood, Rumplestiltskin, and Jack the Giant-Killer - but gives the characters personality and the stories details to make them quite funny.

The late illustrator Edward Gorey's drawings are wonderful and Donnelly sometimes refers directly to their content, or to Gorey himself, but the writing and illustrations stay in balance one with the other. I had expected that the illustrations would be the primary appeal - Gorey gets top billing on the cover - but Donnelly holds his (and her, since Cecily Donnelly is credited on Red Riding Hood) own.

This is a great book to be read to children, and also for slightly older children who will appreciate the humor Donnelly brings to these familiar tales. ( )

I received this book from the Librarything Early Reviewers group. My kids (ages 7, 5, 5) and I most enjoyed this book immensely. I signed up to for this book primarily for the artwork potential. I was not disappointed. It is spare, but striking, and magically speaks to children. The writing, however, was a pleasant surprise. The stories-- all well-known classics-- are significantly updated. They are tongue-in-cheek modern in terms of language and references. Lots of easter-egg gems for the grownups and accessible giggles for kids. I highly recommend this book even if you have the stories in other forms-- this one is different and modern without being cheapened. 5 stars. ( )

Illustrations by Gorey, text by Donnelly. I can’t figure out where these illustrations originate from, but the copyright page implies that they were published in some form in 1972-1973, while the texts were first published in 2010. (And a lack of information on Donnelly anywhere on the internet leads me to believe that he did not write books with Edward Gorey in the 70s.) It’s a confusing situation, which I find very frustrating. Anyway:

“Little Red Riding Hood” – Definitely the highlight of Gorey’s work in this book, with a full page illustration on alternate pages. The writing is fine but unremarkable, sticking relatively close to the Grimm version but with more character details (which sometimes seems forced). 3/5

“Jack the Giant-Killer” – The illustrations for this one are small and relatively sparse. The writing is fine, but the plot is weirdly simple and straight-forward. 1.5/5

“Rumpelstinltskin” – Absolutely delightful. Donnelly finally succeeds at what he’s apparently been trying for the entire book: telling fairy tales with character and wit while sticking to the traditional plot. 4/5 ( )

Very well done indeed! James Donnelly's witty retellings of these three traditional fairy tales were well able to keep up with Edward Gorey's incomparable illustrations. Both Donnelly's and Gorey's storytelling capture the playful element of the macabre in these classic tales, a grim sort of whimsy, despite the inevitable happy endings. Putting the grim back in Grimm. ( )

Not a reissue of the original tales, but a re-packaging with a different (and irreverent) retelling of the old folk tales by James Donnelly. The production values are exquisite, with smooth-finish paper, a well-bound volume, and enhancement of the original Gorey illustrations with beautiful colors. While it is the art of Gorey that will undoubtedly draw the most purchasers, it would be unfair to ignore the new text, which gives the illustrations a worthy accompaniment. I especially liked the sly anagram in Red Riding Hood, as well as Red's initial plans for the wolf's remains. Perhaps a bit bloody and violent for truly impressionable children, but for Donnelly to do otherwise would be a disservice to the illustrator of "The Gashslycrumb Tinies" and "the Doubtful Guest." ( )

This book has three fun stories, all of which are a good introduction to children to the work of Edward Gorey and to some fantastic vocabulary (I was reminded of Lemony Snickett's storytelling). Occasionally, the story lacks a good flow (a few times, I had to turn the pages back to make sure I hadn't just missed something). The illustrations were quite beneficial to the storytelling. The illustrations (of course) are fabulous--I find Rumpelstiltskin especially whimsical. ( )

James Donnelly’s thoroughly amusing and whimsical retelling of three classic children’s tales, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rumpelstiltskin, make -Three Classic Children’s Stories- a sure favorite for children and adults alike. At every turn of the page, Edward Gorey’s classic illustrations, so simple yet elegant, perfectly compliment Donnelly’s vision of each protagonist’s adventure. This book has a certain air of charm and sophistication which as Little Red Riding Hood said best, “…shows real maturity!” A fun bedtime read for all ages. ( )