Essential Fairy Tales: Puss in Boots

Fred Marcellino 2011

Fred Marcellino: Having culled through dozens of stories in search of the right one for nearly a decade, Marcellino immediately recognized the pictorial possibilities in the text, and agreed to take on the project. He then produced a body of illustrations in colored pencil with a degree of refinement rare in the field. The story’s historical setting allowed him to give free-reign to his penchant for the Baroque, and to his admiration for late-Renaissance perspective explorations. When he tackled the cover design, he found “no room for the type.” His long-standing devotion to typography notwithstanding, this now famous image of Puss was allowed to grace the jacket unencumbered. In a highly unusual gesture, the Caldecott committee elected to bestow its coveted “Honor” award on this first picture book effort.

Puss in Boots is a French Fairy Tale by Charles Perault. Your library visitors will probably relate this story to the character from Shrek.

Story summary:  A miller's youngest son is left with his father's cat after his passing. Seeing his new master is dissatisfied with his inheritance, the cat requests some boots and a sack and departs into the countryside to prove his worth. The cat hunts numerous animals and presents them to the king, saying the game is gift from his master, the Marquis de Carabas. When the king takes a drive along the river with his daughter, the cat plans for the king and his master to cross paths. The cat then hides his master's clothes and convinces the king that his master was drowning and robbed, to which the king replies with new, fancy clothes for the "Marquis" and asks for him to join him in his carriage. The cat runs ahead and threatens all the people working the land along the king's path to tell the king that they work for the Marquis. The cat finally comes to an ogre's luxurious castle, where he asks the ogre to turn into a mouse. The cat then kills and eats him and presents the castle to the king as belonging to his master. The king is so impressed with the Marquis' wares that he offers him his daughter's hand in marriage. The cat becomes a lord with fancy clothes. Source

Illustrated by Cecile Becq (2014)

Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (paperback edition 2015)

Retold by Joy Cowley illustrations by Sam-Hyeon Kim (2014)

Illustrated by Ian Beck

This is Orange by Rachel Poliquin illustrated by Julie Morstad

Witty, smart, and sophisticated. Kirkus Star review

There are lots of books recently published about colours but this one really stands out because who knew there was so much to say about orange. Did you know there was even a time when that specific colour did not have a name in English? Orange is a colour but it is also the name of a fruit and the colour of many other fruits such as mandarins and melons. But there is so much more. Think about flags, flowers, birds and pumpkins. 

In The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer describes the fox as a colour 'betwix yelow and reed'. In 1502 a portrait of Margaret, Tudor Queen of Scotland, shows her wearing 'slevys of orenge colour'. You will also discover how artists made this colour using minerals such as realgar and crocoite. Orange is found in nature too such as the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, the feet of a mallard duck and the feet of the puffin. Have you ever wondered why astronauts wear orange suits? And I discovered Canadian children wear orange shirts on September 30th each year to commemorate First Nations children who were taken from their homes.

Publisher blurb: Look closely. The color orange is all around you, not only in the natural world—from fruit and foxes to minerals and mushrooms—but in the human-engineered world, too, from works of art to religious ceremonies to astronaut survival suits. Ranging through time and circumnavigating the globe, witty stream-of-consciousness text and jaunty illustrations explore color through surprising social, historical, cultural, and artistic lenses. With more than thirty vivid examples and a gentle introduction to color theory, this eye-opening voyage into the heart of orange is a clever appeal to experience other colors—and the world at large—with an open and expansive mind.

It seems a little surprising to me that I have not heard or read a lot of 'hoopla' about this book. I first saw it in the Art Gallery of NSW shop in 2025 and quickly added it to my huge to read list. I should also mention that this is one of those books with a fabulous case reveal - you need to slide away the dust jacket to find the surprise underneath. Here is the webpage for Rachel Poliquin. I want to say you should add This is Orange to your school library but once again this is an international title with a high price of AUS$35. 

Julie Morstad is the illustrator of numerous acclaimed books for young readers, including House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery by Liz Rosenberg, When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano, and Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder. She has been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award three times. Julie Morstad lives in Vancouver.

A tour de force through world history, the natural world, and cultural studies. ... With some uncommon words and packed with ideas, this compelling and humorous book lends itself as a read-aloud for early grades and is a must for all libraries. School Library Journal (starred review)

You can find more books about orange in this blog post from Kinderbookswitheverything. 

Here are some other books you could add to your school library about colours:

Green

Before Colors

Big book of Colorful foods

I can see Nature's Rainbow

Essential Fairy Tales: Tom Thumb

This one from Eric Carle was published in 2011

Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter and his wife lived in a small cottage beside a great forest. They had a warm fire, a wooden table and a little garden by the door, but the cottage was very quiet because they had no child. One evening, the woodcutter’s wife looked at the empty chair beside the fire and sighed. “I would be happy with a child no bigger than my thumb,” she said, “if only we had one to love.”

I am sure the story of Tom Thumb is included in many fairy tale anthologies but I did not find any/many current versions. Most of the covers I have included here are for books that are out of print. 

1993

Gerda Muller 1984

The Tom Thumb story is one of the oldest recorded English fairy tales – a chapbook version by Richard Johnson was published in London around 1621, predating the Brothers Grimm by nearly two centuries. In the English tradition, Tom Thumb is a figure from Arthurian legend, known to King Arthur’s court, and his adventures involve giants, magicians, and the royal court. The Brothers Grimm published their own very similar version in 1812 under the title “Thumbling” (Däumling in German), in which the same tiny boy has adventures in the fields, is swallowed by animals, and eventually returns home. The basic pattern – a tiny boy born to childless parents who proves his worth through cleverness rather than size – is found across many cultures, from Issun-boshi in Japan to the Scandinavian Tommeliden.

Tom Thumb’s adventures typically involve his tiny size getting him into and out of extraordinary situations: being carried off by animals, hiding inside everyday objects, being swallowed by creatures far larger than himself, and using his voice and wit from inside places no one else could reach. He sells himself to strangers knowing he can escape through a mousehole; he is swallowed by a cow and calls out from her stomach; he ends up inside a wolf and uses the wolf to return to his parents. In each case it is his cleverness rather than his strength that saves him.  Source

The episodic form of this story reminded me of Pinocchio. 

I am not sure if we will keep this book on our essentials list but you might be thinking of this important reference:

Bikes for Sale by Carter Higgins illustrated by Zachariah OHora

"The people were thirsty for sunshine."

Maurice rides his bike to his shop every day. Lotta rides her bike to collect sticks every day. Both go about their separate routines, unaware of the friendship that awaits them just a few blocks away. But what happens when a branch and a lemon peel get in the way? Bikes for Sale is a delightful falling-in-like story that celebrates the power of coincidence to lead us to the friends we’re meant to meet all along.

Maurice sells lemonade from a cart attached to his yellow bike. Lotta has a red bike with a basket that holds sticks she collects and then gives away. Both travel along similar pathways daily yet never meet…until a stick becomes entangled in one of Maurice’s spokes, propelling him into a tree. Meanwhile, Lotta’s bike skids on some lemon rinds, causing her to crash, too. They’re unharmed, but

their bikes are ruined and occupations suffer. When Maurice and Lotta read a sign advertising bikes for sale, each visits Sid’s repair shop. Hurray! Sid has fashioned a tandem bike, developed from the broken remains. He has also created a new friendship, as Maurice and Lotta become the owners/riders of a yellow-and-red lemonade-and–stick-collecting bicycle built for two. Kirkus

"Now the lemons had more shine and the sticks more snap."

Bikes for Sale is from 2019 so it is out of print but you might be lucky as I was and find a copy in your local or school library. 

This quirky anticonsumerist fable imagines a town in which uses can be found for the things most people abandon, small enterprises flourish, and communal kindness makes life rich.” —Publishers Weekly 

Here is the web page for Zachariah OHora and also for Carter Higgins. I previously talked about Goodnight Veggies. 

Here is an illustration from Bikes for Sale:

Companion book:

Herman and Rosie

Carter Higgins is the author of many books for young readers, including Everything You Need for a Treehouse, an NPR Best Book of the Year, This is Not a Valentine, a Kids' Indie Next List selection, and the chapter book series, Audrey L & Audrey W. Her first book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publisher’s Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.

I previously talked about this wonderful and important book by Carter Higgins:

Big and Small and In-between

You might also look for these books illustrated by Zachariah OHora:

Kirkus Star review

Read more here

Pigology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Daisy Bird illustrated by Camilla Pintonato

 

You might be thinking this book has no connection with the syllabus etc. taught in your school but surely it is okay to add books to your library on a huge range of topics - and this book is sure to catch the eye of your students with that huge pig on the cover. Why not have a fun and fact filled book about pigs? I am sure you will discover so many things you never knew. See inside here. In Italy this book has the title Il porcellari. Camille Pintonato lives and works in Venice. 

This book is from 2021 but it is still available. I am always on the look out for 'quirky' nonfiction titles. This one caught my eye at the State Library of Victoria in their children's section. It is slightly funny when you go there because the staff who 'man' the area always question why you are visiting (when you arrive with no children)!

Publisher blurb: Pigs are full of unexpected surprises. Did you know that when a pig is happy, it will uncoil its curly tail and wag it just like a dog? Or that feral hogs can detect odors from seven miles away? Pigology delves into the history of pigs, pig breeds around the world, famous pigs, pigs in culture, and so much more, with engaging scenes from illustrator Camilla Pintonato. This lively visual encyclopedia, a follow-up to Chickenology, offers something to discover for everyone young and old: nature- and animal-loving young readers, pig enthusiasts, pig farmers, and pet pig owners alike!

Here is the Kirkus review.

It's good timing that I am sharing this book because my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has alerted me to Non-Fiction November. 

Here are two more books from this series also illustrated by Camilla Pintonato. There is also Sheepology:

Hometown by Shaun Tan

It is within this simple narrative shell that our recognition is played with and our comprehension challenged. ... What’s going on? A passage between familiarity and strangeness is opened, and the reader cannot help but ask questions in the absence of any explanation. ... Unlike a riddle, there is no clear answer to these questions, which remain open. ... For me, a successful picture book is one in which everything is presented to the reader as a speculative proposition, wrapped in invisible quotation marks, as if to say “what do you make of this?”  Shaun Tan talking about his book The Lost Thing

The opening endpapers of Hometown and the first page turn are very important - do not rush past these. Shaun Tan himself says of his work: What I like about this book in retrospect is that it is not necessarily sequential and exploits the fact that picture books ... have no specific duration - you can look at things for as long as you want, and at any point without the pressure of linear narrative. (Source)

"Here I am. Gravity keeps me here. Or love, which is kind of the same thing. I've never lived anywhere else, and even if I did, this would always be my hometown. The place where I grew up, the place where all my family are from."

These opening words of Hometown set the scene, introduce the main character and open the potential for an issue or change or a challenge. "I've never lived anywhere else" - is that about to change?

She goes on to say:

"I also love going to my secret place. Just being alone, thinking things over. Wondering if there's more to life than this. If there's more out there for someone like me."

So, what happens? Who arrives to challenge her sense of belonging? Did you see something on the first page? 

Shuan Tan is a master of the wordless book and the wordless page spread. In this book pages like this work so well to slow down your reading pace. I found myself taking a breath as I reached each of the wordless pages and one is even surprise fold out.

A spectacularly surreal coming-of-age story about choice, family, and the gravitational pull of belonging. Kirkus Star review

In addition to the wonderful story, the art is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a lovely mix of dreamy pastel colors, surreal landscapes and characters, and delicate details that warrant reading and re-reading just to enjoy it all again and pick out things you might have missed the first time through! History that Never was

Not quite a picture book, not quite a graphic novel and not quite a comic book, and, at 136 pages, significantly longer than most books of its type, Hometown pushes back against any label or box you might find for it. Older children, teens and adults will enjoy grappling with its allegorical meanings and existential questions. Book Page

For this blog post I attended two presentations by Shaun Tan - one in Melbourne with Michael Earp from The Little Bookroom and one in Sydney by Kinokuniya where he was interviewed by Phil Lesnie. I also listed to this fabulous podcast from The Children's Book Review with Bianca Schulze listen to this (or read the transcript if you are curious about the title - Hometown). AND Betsy Bird talked to Shaun too and declared The Arrival her favourite book!! (Do spend 30 minutes, this interview is so insightful). 

Some of Shaun Tan's ideas/inspirations I learnt from his presentations are explained in this blog post from the publisher Allen and Unwin. The excellent teachers notes from Allen Unwin written by Robyn Sheahan-Bright include a very extensive reading list, websites, and links to materials about Shaun Tan. 

US Publisher blurb: If a stranger arrived and told you that the world you knew-your community, your family, and your hometown-wasn't really where you belonged, would you follow them and leave it all behind? Imagine living in a perfect world. You have a loving family, a beautiful home, awesome friends and about three hundred loyal pets. Everything is just as it should be. Until one day, when a stranger arrives. A stranger who looks just like you. A stranger with a very disturbing message . . . 

Further reading: 

Kirkus - Welcome to the Strange, Surreal World of Shaun Tan

Interview with Joy Lawn for Paperbark Words

You can see early sketches for this book on Shaun Tan's web page.

Here is a seven minute video with Shaun talking about the ideas that led to his book. 

I have a couple of favourite pages - the one where the girl and the stranger reach out to touch their hands and the pages where the girl is talking to her sister with the text "I didn't know if she would even care about my problems". And the page I would like to discuss with someone is the one where it says "I love going to school." Is this image about conformity or indoctrination? Why does the girl and all her fellow classmates have their arms in the air and why are they sitting in rows all facing the front. I am also curious about the inclusion of flowers and how such a delicate, natural object could ever be found in this desolate and 'alien' looking environment.

I hope that Hometown is a book that might be read and re-read, revealing different impressions. It can be understood in a literal or metaphorical way: a story about a girl on an alien planet, or a deeper parable about individual identity, the need to ‘feel with your head and think with your heart’, as the narrator’s adoptive mother suggests, no matter what other people say you should think, feel and do. Regardless of family, friends, religion, politics and society, young people especially must always ask their own questions and make emotionally intelligent choices. That’s not always an easy thing to do, the world being a resistant place, full of contradictions, competing principles and powerful opposing forces. But art and literature remind us that there’s always a possible way through, a good and smart and fair way, if only you can imagine it. Shaun Tan Allen and Unwin blog post

In his various talks and interviews Shaun Tan mentioned so many things - here are a few from my notes:

• His early ideas for this story first appeared in a UK Comic anthology "I fell machine". His story was twenty pages with the title "Here I am" .
• In that story the lizard like creature had a name but in Hometown they are called things.
• Notice the way mum has eight arms - mum's are so good at multitasking.
• Is Hometown Science Fiction - Yes but he didn't want to include the usual Sci Fi Tropes. Shaun also mentioned a book by Ursula LeGuin "Always coming home".
• He deliberately did not include a conventional space ship.
• He had in mind a few paintings including one by Andrew Wyeth entitled Christina's World. And others by Arthur Streeton (Gorse in Bloom), Samuel Palmer Early Morning and Monet.
• A favourite picture book is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. (Take a look at my blog post where Shaun Tan contributed a similar idea in a book called Ten-Word Tiny Tales). 
• Illustrations by Arthur Rackham are also an influence. 
• What if someone says your view of reality is wrong - this is a core idea in Hometown. 

Every school and public library will add this book to their collection and for a family it could be an amazing Christmas gift to an older child or to an adult. I am enjoying imagining all the fabulous conversations you will have with your reading companions, family or class. 

IBBY Australia are enormously proud of Shaun Tan - winner of the ALMA (Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award) 2011; Hans Christian Andersen IBBY Australia Nominee; IBBY Honour book 2010 The Arrival; Dromkeen Medal 2010; and Kate Greenaway Medal Winner for Tales from the Inner City 2020. Many years ago Shaun Tan generously gifted a limited edition print to IBBY to use as a fund raiser. You can see the image here (sorry they are all sold) and you might like to compare this with one of the girl's friends in Hometown.

Check out his web page

Sketching the streets around his parents’ house, Tan realized, “Maybe art isn’t about exotic subjects, and real science fiction isn’t about exotic interplanetary worlds. It’s about what’s right in front of you.” Kirkus

As illustrator

The Pipe, by James Moloney (1996) After Dark series

The Stray Cat, by Steven Paulsen (1996) After Dark series

The Doll, by Janine Burke (1997) After Dark series

The Half Dead, by Garry Disher (1997) After Dark series

The Viewer, written by Gary Crew (1997)

The Rabbits, written by John Marsden (1998)

The Hicksville Horror, by Nette Hilton (1999) After Dark series

The Puppet, by Ian Bone (1999) After Dark series

Memorial, written by Gary Crew (1999)

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2008)

If you can find this or any of the other After Dark titles they are fabulous to read aloud to Grade 6.

As author and illustrator

The Playground (1997) After Dark series

The Lost Thing (2000)

The Red Tree (2001)

The Arrival (2006)

Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008)

The Bird King and other sketches (2011)

The Oopsatoreum: inventions of Henry A. Mintox, with the Powerhouse Museum (2012)

Rules of Summer (2013)

The Singing Bones (2016)

Cicada (2018)

Tales from the Inner City (2018)

Dog (2020)

Eric (2020)

Creature (2022)

Hometown (2026)

Do imaginary objects stand up as meaningful metaphors? Do they ‘make sense’ on their own, without being pushed. Being an artist is not about manipulating objects or an audience so much as constantly assessing a series of often accidental and mysterious ideas. Source

Publisher Profile: Post Wave

See inside this book here.

There is a fabulous public library in Melbourne (Narrm Ngarrgu Library) and each time I visit the city I try to set aside some time to explore their picture books in the children's section. Last month I spied this special book "A song of seasons" and then I noticed the publisher (not something I do often enough). I had not heard of Post Wave but now I have dug a little deeper and made some terrific book discoveries. I especially appreciate that on their web page you can click a cover and see inside the book. They also have additional resources for many of their titles.

Our mission is to make every child around the globe a reader.  We believe that being a reader brings opportunities and opens up the world. We acquire and translate original, beautiful, fun, clever books that visually delight, entertain, inspire and help children discover the world around them. ... We are committed to publishing beautiful, illustrated books showcasing diverse voices, excellent design and award-winning illustration all of which are produced to the highest of standards. ... Key to our success will be our highly valued authors and illustrators. The quality of writing, design and illustration will shine out in our books, helping us to achieve our mission to get children reading and encourage them to become lifelong readers. 

Here are a few of their books that caught my eye:

I talked about this book here - highly recommended

Take a look at the publisher resources for Call of the Birds