Into the Goblin Market

Intricately worked page borders and shadowy, woodblock-print-like artwork by Eckwall (Almost a Full Moon) create an eerie atmosphere for this tense verse tale about Mina—a risk-seeking girl who succumbs one night to the lure of the Goblin Market and its magical wares. Bespectacled Millie, Mina’s comparatively contented homebody sister, reads up on her quest before braving the market’s threats in search of her sibling (“The Goblins weren’t just fierce, but clever—/ It was a dangerous endeavor”). Once Millie passes the wolf just inside the market’s entrance, she experiences one chilling encounter after another as she uses the magic antidotes she’s brought to counter fairy tale menaces. “Come into my stall and sit./ To soothe your nerves, I’ll play a bit,” offers a piper whose song begins lulling Millie to sleep, until she stuffs wool into her ears and resumes her search. Rigorously metered couplets make the suspense easier to bear. Via an allusive, Christina Rossetti–tinged work that rewards clearheadedness and preparation, VanSickle (Anonymouse) creates a hero who won’t be cowed. Character skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 4–8. (July)