Fairy Tale Land: 12 Classic Tales Reimagined

Strange realms and enchanted kingdoms recur in this appealing collection of gently updated classics that encompasses mostly European fairy tales and stories, including Robin Hood, “The Snow Queen,” and Treasure Island, Davies’s retellings deftly preserve the originals’ sense of magic while recontouring plots to better suit modern sensibilities—in “Beauty and the Beast,” the Beast needs friendship, not love, to break his curse, and in “The Little Mermaid,” the mermaid chooses to return to her family, spurning the shallow prince: “I have my own palace, thank you.” Clerc’s intoxicatingly detailed, lushly colored illustrations are richly botanical, offering a riot of blooms and branches, with protagonists of varying skin tones. Each tale is capped with a full spread landscape depicting the story’s setting, even if distracting asides offer unnecessary commentary (“Cinderella’s sisters are mean and cruel—avoid them”). Casts a charming spell all its own. Ages 7–10. (Nov.)