Jane Yolen (1939–2026)

Yolen has been one of my favorite children's book authors since I was a teenager; she's unbelievably prolific, having published something like 400 books, mostly for kids (her "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" is a classic). This is one of her most unique titles, a modern subversion of a fairy tale wrapped in Russian folklore and written as a series of short poems. Not every poem is a perfect gem but the whole balances well and moves the reader elegantly through a story that feels both old and show more contemporary at once.

If you've ever been a fan of fairy tale retellings that pull in contemporary sensibilities, you'll find something to love here.

It's not the story you think but it might be the story you need. show less

A catchy, clever and charming counting rhyme with delightfully delicate illustrations. But it really doesn't do to think too much about the fact that each and every creature in the book is suffering terrible social anxiety about the upcoming Butterfly Ball. The mouse is "in great distress" about her inability to find a proper dress, the other animals equally at a loss for formal wear are "sad', "heaving sighs", "mournful", or even fighting over scarce finery. Not one is actually looking show more forward to the celebration. Basically it's conveying what Professor David C. Davis, originator of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Awards, would have called a "universal" that dress - superficial appearances - are all-important and worth anguish or conflict. I love the book, but reading it aloud to my grandchildren would threaten my sanity! show less

Remember [b:The Blue Fairy Book|543164|The Blue Fairy Book|Andrew Lang|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328865436s/543164.jpg|1369471]? [b:The Yellow Fairy Book|774557|The Yellow Fairy Book|Andrew Lang|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328865462s/774557.jpg|760601] and all the other primary colored editions? Or their lesser-known cousins Pink, Grey and Crimson Fairy Books? I checked out every one I could find at the local library, and spent endless hours reading about show more talking beasts, seventh sons and bloody appendages (these were graphic fairy tales). Apparently, Jane Yolen shared a similar predilection towards fairy tales, folklore and myths and much of her writing is built on that foundation. "Once" is an honorary anthology that puts together many of Yolen's interpretations of fairy tales, interspersed with short essays and a number of poems.

In my imaginary book-world, Jane is clearly friends with [a:Patricia McKillip|25|Patricia A. McKillip|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1220752490p2/25.jpg] and [a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1314406026p2/5339.jpg]. They share a distinct tendency towards dreamy works, feminist-inclined re-imaginings and occasionally grim plots; not everything is "happily ever after." "Once" stays true to the feminist re-inventive tradition, at turns fierce, humorous and empowering. A running theme throughout is the power of words and language. The short stories are very much in the fairy tale and occasionally folk tale tradition, and if you remember your color fairy books, some of these will seem familiar. Like fairy tales, many surround the theme of male-female relationships and transformation and don't turn out to everyone's happiness.

The fairy tales have a wide variety of styles and tones. A few of her unusual set ups are successes. One that stands out in my memory is "Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves' Home." Nurse Lamb arrives at her first day of work at the Happy Den, where aging, toothless wolves are fed mash. Poor Nurse Lamb is somewhat intimidated by her new charges until she learns what really happened with Peter and the Wolf, the three (greedy) pigs and Little Red Riding Hood (who has a penchant for pretending). Then there's "Flight," an enchanting little story of a daring child braving a stolen ride on Athena's pegasus. "Dream Weaver" follows the tale-within-a-tale format of a blind weaver weaving tales in the marketplace; her fascinating little stories are only slightly marred by the unsurprising ending. "Words of Power" seems to be based on a Native American tale of a rather surly girl on the cusp of adulthood. One of my favorites, it even managed to surprise me with both the plot and the moral. "Snow in Summer" is the best Snow White interpretation I've read yet. "The Moon Ribbon" was a delightful tale in the Cinderella tradition, with a young woman who learns to take initiative.

I actually enjoyed the poetry far more than I expected; I have the tendency to skim over it in many similar anthologies. The poetry tended towards integration with the modern world. "Mother Goose's Maladies Or: Aren't You Glad You Asked?" stands out as particularly clever, divided into six parts that anyone over 40 can empathize with--knee, back, colon, reflux, memory and the old gander.

The essays are wonderful musings on writing, storytelling and fairy tales. "Fantasy Novels: Truth in Disguise?" is hysterical, consisting entirely of footnotes. My favorite? "3. Of course Le Guin is a fanatic about such things. Consider her background." The footnotes cite everyone from Joseph Campbell to Dorothy Parker and Melville. "Oh God, Here Come the Elves," starts with a laughable idea--why must elves make their way into seemingly every fantasy story--and ends with profound musings on writers being open to their craft. "Like the sibyls before us, we must be overwhelmed by the vatic voice... The author, lacking leaves, pot, and cave walls, uses black smudges on a page."

Ultimately, a three-and-a-half star read for me. A few of the tales stumbled in execution, particularly "Golden Balls" and "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views." The tone of some of the poems felt uneven to me; they would be beautiful and word-smithy, and then end with a twisty little snark-like comment that threw my reading off. Perhaps the biggest detraction is that even these re-tellings lack the sophistication I look for in my reading these days. However, her essays were fascinating and left me wanting more.

From "The Story Between," one of her core story concepts:
"It is merely that we bring to tales that most complex of constructs--ourselves."

Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/once-upon-a-time-she-said-by-jane-yole... show less

My first exposure to Jane Yolen was her Pit Dragon series, and these books have always remained my favorites of hers. They are set on an imaginary planet which was first seen as uninhabitable and used as a dumping ground for criminals. Some of them survived, and a rough civilization arose out of the extreme desert climate. Very few animals and plants on Austar IV were useful to humans, but the people managed to domesticate large winged lizards they called dragons. The society of Austar IV is show more based on a system of indentured servitude- masters and bondsmen- and full of gambling, drugs and prostitution. Betting is huge part of the economy, largely based on dragon fights in the "pits". I'm presenting this as I originally read the series- three separate books-even though my copy is the three-in-one.

Dragon's Blood- The main character in Dragon's Blood is a teenage boy, Jakkin, who is a bondsman on a large dragon farm. His days are full of drudgery- mucking out dragon stalls, grooming and feeding the beasts. But unlike most of his companions who loathe their occupation, Jakkin likes working with the dragons and wants to train his own. He plans to steal an egg from his master, then raise and train the dragon in secret in the desert, hoping to buy his freedom with money he can earn from pit fights. His plan is fraught with danger and unforseen difficulties, but he finds an unexpected ally in his master's daughter, Akki. She's one of the stronger characters in the book, which makes up a little bit for the fact that on Austar IV, it's an accepted fact that most women are in "baggeries" (this aspect of the society is not a major part of the story, but only hinted at). Although Jakkin based his gamble for freedom on thievery, I still found his character sympathetic and even admirable at times. I really liked how the dragons were depicted. Like Anne McCaffrey's dragons, Yolen's are telepathic- but very few people actually communicate with them, and the dragons do not "speak" in words and sentences; instead they form mental pictures with colors and shapes. They are quite believable creatures with individual personalities that don't reach above their bestial nature.

Heart's Blood- In this sequel, young Jakkin has reached his dream of owning his own dragon, and his freedom. But being a master is not exactly as he'd imagined. He often finds his new role awkward, especially in the strained relationship with one of his old friends and companions, who is now Jakkin's bondservant. Even though being a master gives him greater privileges, Jakkin still prefers to spend time working with his dragon rather than immersing himself in the seedier entertainments of the city. But when he learns that his girlfriend Akki, who he hasn't seen in a year, is mixed up with an underground rebel organization and could be in danger, Jakkin suddenly finds himself involved in a confusing world of politics and intrigue, and eventually on the run for his life. The plot of Heart's Blood gets a bit complex, and at first it was confusing for me (at a younger age) to follow. It was probably the first book I read that dealt with politics and kept me interested- because I could relate to the main character's perspective. At first he didn't care about political unrest, until he saw how changes in society would impact his personal life and those (people and dragons alike) he cared about. Then he could not help but get involved. A great story, set in a far-away world that is very believable. I find this book compelling every time I re-read it.

A Sending of Dragons- The third book continues with Jakkin and Akki living as fugitives in the mountains, their only company a fast-growing, half-wild brood of young dragons- the offspring of Jakkin's first dragon. They've undergone a transformation that gave them some of the dragon's powers- including the ability to withstand the desert night's below-freezing temperatures, and to communicate telepathically. But then they encounter a strange, primitive tribe of people who live deep in the mountain caves- and who have also discovered the changes dragons can make in human minds and bodies. These people have lived for generations without speaking, using mental telepathy to bind themselves together. Their society is full of rituals and dark secrets. Jakkin and Akki reluctantly get drawn into their world, finding it hard to resist because on the one hand, they want to rescue the dragons which are being ritually sacrificed by the mountain people, and on the other, they are susceptible to the primitive society's powerful mind-control. If anything, the storyline in A Sending of Dragons is more suspenseful than the previous two books, and it delves even deeper into the exploration of self, and moral questions about how people use dragons on Austar IV.

Thinking about it now, I find it interesting that this series looks so closely at how a society uses its animals- in the first two books, Jakkin didn't like that the dragons were raised for their meat and hides, but had no qualms about fighting them in the betting pits. In this third book, he encounters a society that sacrifices the dragons, but also honors and reveres them. I think if Jakkin had his own way, all the dragons would live wild, free of human control- but then people would barely be able to survive on the forbidding world of Austar IV.

There's now a fourth book in the series, Dragon's Heart but I didn't like it nearly as much as the first three. show less