Beware — these fairy tales are not for the faint of heart! Maisy creator Lucy Cousins shifts gears to retell her favorites with vivid, rou...
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Jan 22, 2011
Dianna
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First off, why are fairy tales relegated to the non-fiction section of the library? Picture books are always in heavy circulation, and gems like this are doomed to be overlooked because of their location. I love fairy tales, and I think they're good for children to read: they touch some deep, primal portion of our soul that we don't even realize is there. So please stop hiding them.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can tell you why I love this book so much. I am so tired of s More...
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I can tell you why I love this book so much. I am so tired of s More...
Mar 10, 2010
Janessa
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Everything about this book is delightful. Yummy is the perfect title. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and engaging. The selection of stories is a refreshing mix of the familiar stand-bys my kids already love(Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs) and less-known tales that are quickly becoming favorites (The Bremen Town Musicians, Henny Penny). All my children enjoy the stories. The older kids read them to the younger kids, and then the younger kids bring the book to Mom and
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Nov 14, 2009
Becky
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Bright and bold, Lucy Cousins (of Maisy fame) retells eight of her favorite fairy tales, and not the Disneyfied versions, either. Heads are chopped, children are gobbled, and Turkey Lurkey most definitely gets eaten. Delicious shivers! I can't even recall how I first heard fairy tales as a child, but these are so simple and true to the story that I almost found myself whispering along. There are no extra words, but the pacing and the cumulative plots are perfect. So is the extra-large format.
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Jul 28, 2009
Elizabeth
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I think the lesson of the day here is that I haven’t been giving Lucy Cousins enough credit. While you may not be immediately familiar with her name, you’ve probably run into Cousins’ most famous creation, Maisy, at some point in your travels. Maisy is a mouse. Maisy is cute. Maisy is beloved by the 0-4 set. You haven’t lived until you’ve worked a reference desk where desperate two-year-olds come up to you like knee high zombies demanding, in their too high voices, you entire section of Mais
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Jul 05, 2010
Brook
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I admit I would never have picked up this book if it wasn't for the rave review on books4yourkids.
I'm glad I did.
This is the perfect introduction to fairy tales for Skyler. Short, funny, bright, with just enough head-chopping to keep youngsters engaged. I have read several of the tales to Skyler more than once and I can read several at a time. It is easy to read and I am amazed that Cousins was able to simplify the stories so much while keeping all the essential par More...
I'm glad I did.
This is the perfect introduction to fairy tales for Skyler. Short, funny, bright, with just enough head-chopping to keep youngsters engaged. I have read several of the tales to Skyler more than once and I can read several at a time. It is easy to read and I am amazed that Cousins was able to simplify the stories so much while keeping all the essential par More...
Aug 23, 2009
Boni
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I adore this book! I love the size, the straightforward tellings... and the ILLUSTRATIONS! (swoon) One gorgeous book. I think this is a must-have if you want your child to be familiar with fairy tales.
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Dec 18, 2009
Kate
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This is a really cute and fun book.
Little Red Riding Hood: Those pajama pants on the wolf look comfortable. Also, wolf, how can you be wearing the clothes she was wearing if you swallowed her whole? Clearly you didn't take them off first. This is a children's book. And the hunter comes along and chops off the wolf's head and the wolf is wearing his comfortable pajama pants and the grandma is magically alive wearing her clothes again. Total mindfuck.
The Three Billy Goats G More...
Little Red Riding Hood: Those pajama pants on the wolf look comfortable. Also, wolf, how can you be wearing the clothes she was wearing if you swallowed her whole? Clearly you didn't take them off first. This is a children's book. And the hunter comes along and chops off the wolf's head and the wolf is wearing his comfortable pajama pants and the grandma is magically alive wearing her clothes again. Total mindfuck.
The Three Billy Goats G More...
Jul 23, 2011
Kathryn
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I suspect how an adult (at least, an adult who doesn't have kids to read to on a regular basis) reacts to picture books is largely a function of the adult's taste in art--and I've never been fond of primitives. I can see that the art in this book is a sophisticated production, but it does not move me in any way. Because the book is entirely dependent on the art (the text of the tales is firmly within the traditional tellings), my tepid response to the art guaranteed a tepid response to the boo
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Feb 11, 2011
Charlotte
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The runaway favorite from the most recent library trip, to the point where I'm pricing used copies on Amazon. Charlotte has hit just about the right age for fairy tales; the scary aspects make her the teensiest bit nervous, but in a healthy way. These stories are so simple & short, really the bare bones of the story, so by the time you process that Little Red Riding Hood & her grandmother were actually eaten by the Wolf, the Hunter is chopping the Wolf's head off. I like it, because now Charl
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Oct 23, 2009
babyhippoface
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Simple retellings of eight old fairy tales. Not a fan of Cousins' illustrations, but the stories are nice for sharing with very young readers.
And on a very personal note: Goosey Poosey??? and Ducky Daddles? Doesn't Lucy Cousins know it's supposed to be Goosey Loosey and Ducky Lucky? And why is Mama Bear's porridge too salty? And her bed too lumpy, while Papa Bear's bed is too high? Weird details Cousins chose to change. However, I do love that the Donkey looked in the window and aut More...
And on a very personal note: Goosey Poosey??? and Ducky Daddles? Doesn't Lucy Cousins know it's supposed to be Goosey Loosey and Ducky Lucky? And why is Mama Bear's porridge too salty? And her bed too lumpy, while Papa Bear's bed is too high? Weird details Cousins chose to change. However, I do love that the Donkey looked in the window and aut More...
Nov 21, 2010
Abigail
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Lucy Cousins - perhaps best known for her series of picture-books about Maisy the mouse, intended for the very young child - turns her attention to the world of fairy-tales in this outsized collection, which was chosen by The New York Times as one of the "Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009." Here the reader will find seven tales - from Little Red Riding Hood to The Musicians of Bremen - all pared down from the original, and presented in an easy-to-read format, with huge text (on
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Oct 31, 2010
Ellen
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October is a good time for stories that are a little scary! We read the first two tales: Little Red Riding Hood (where we watched the wolf eat grandma and then Little Red before his head is chopped off and our heroes climb out unscathed) and Billy Goats Gruff (where the troll looks very mean, but at the end, the biggest Billy Goat bashes him to bits). Not exactly the sweetened renditions that I usually see. The K students liked the stories, but I'm thinking they might be better suited for grades
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Oct 16, 2010
October is a good time for stories that are a little scary! We read the first two tales: Little Red Riding Hood (where we watched the wolf eat grandma and then Little Red before his head is chopped off and our heroes climb out unscathed) and Billy Goats Gruff (where the troll looks very mean, but at the end, the biggest Billy Goat bashes him to bits). Not exactly the sweetened renditions that I usually see. The K students liked the stories, but I'm thinking they might be better suited for grade
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Dec 15, 2009
Dina
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Retelling of 8 favorite fairy tales with bright larger-than-life illustrations by Lucy Cousins. I really enjoyed reading again (for the first time in a long time) the fairy tales I last read with my sons. I discovered that I'd forgotten some details--and how gruesome these stories really are. Cousins has retold the stories concisely, with just enough detail to tell the story, but allowing the illustrations to show the action and emotion. I think kids will enjoy hearing these stories again and ag
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Jan 14, 2010
Sarah
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Filling a great need in this usually text dense genre, classic folk tales are concentrated to their most basic elements complete with playful, sweet yet alternatively vicious illustrations. Imagine grandma's legs sticking out of wolf's mouth... then pages later, wolf decapitation! Cousins boldly retains the shocking essence of folk tales that are exactly so captivating, for children ages 3 & older. Plus I love the connective thread of food and eating that ties the eight stories together.
Sep 05, 2009
Michelle
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I LOVED it! Lucy Cousins' trademark illustrations are bold, colorful and kid-friendly. I enjoyed her re-tellings of these well-known fables. A note of caution for those who prefer kinder, gentler versions of these timeless tales: Cousins' re-tellings are non-pc, no nonsense, and truer to the originals in which mean wolves get chopped in half and those silly pigs get eaten! This book was wickedly fun! :)I want it for my junior library @ home! :)
Jul 22, 2010
Joan
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For those of us who always despised the watered-down, safer versions of common fairy tales, this is a breath of fresh air! My kids loved the illustrations (the author/illustrator is also the creator of Maisy the Mouse)--our favorite? the page where the wolf's head goes flying after the woodcutter appears in Little Red Riding Hood! This is a great, no-holds-barred book that gives the villians their just desserts! ha!
Dec 15, 2009
Sam
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Lucy Cousins does a fine job retelling a handful of nursery rhymes in this collection. The illustrations are bold and colorful, just like in the Maisy books, and the stories are told simply, which makes this a good choice for introductions to pretty young kids. I can't say that I really get the hype (this book has been on pretty much every single best of 2009 list that I've seen), but I still like this book.
Aug 27, 2011
Alison
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This is my nearly- 4 year old nephew's favourite book. I wish my parents had waited for the paperback, as it is a substantial tome and it is quite painful when he plonks it on my knee and demands that I read it to him! The stories are retold in language simple enough that J has enjoyed it since he was just 3, and the bright pictures are just what you would expect from the creator of Maisy the mouse.
Nov 27, 2010
Katey
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This book is amazing!!! I did a few projects with it dealing with puppets. There are Eight fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Enormous Turnip, Henny Penny, Goldilocks adn the Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Musicians of Bremen. The plots are simple along with the pictures. However the book is exciting and entertaining. I love it!
Dec 30, 2011
Kellie
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Yummy: Eigth Favorite Fairy Tales features tradtional tellings of classic fairty tales that in some way or another feature food or eating. I liked that the author sticks to the more traditional versions of the story rather presenting sugar coated or twisted tales. The best thing about this book, for me, is the vibrant, child-like quality of the illustrations.
Jan 02, 2010
Lisa
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Lively, bold illustrations and simple re-telling of classic fairy tales make this a great choice for young children. I enjoyed the minor changes Cousins made, such as the animals replying, "I'm busy" rather than "Not I" to the Little Red Hen. I also especially enjoyed the cheerful drawings of Henny Penny and her friends (but I wish the friends hadn't been eaten!).
Sep 17, 2011
Leslie
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Yummy by Lucy Cousins, 2009, is a fairy tail book with bold print and pictures. It would be a good book to read for whole group times with large groups because everyone can see the bold pictures. This book includes Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Henny Penny, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and others to a total of 8 fairy tales
Oct 14, 2009
Jamil
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We were talking about this book at work today, wondering if lil kids, fans of Maisy, would be freaked out by all the images of head-chopping, grandmother-eating, wolf-boiling...
I think this would be a great book to have kids make up their own versions of these classic fairy tales just based on the illustrations, you know, fractured fairy-tales style.
I think this would be a great book to have kids make up their own versions of these classic fairy tales just based on the illustrations, you know, fractured fairy-tales style.
Oct 19, 2010
Angie
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Last spring my first grade teachers asked for fairy tales that could more easily be read in one quick sitting.
This one fits the bill (as long as they don't mind the honest depiction of a grandmother getting eaten or the Big Bad Wolf's head getting chopped off or the Little Red Hen not sharing;])... with super fun illustrations to boot!
This one fits the bill (as long as they don't mind the honest depiction of a grandmother getting eaten or the Big Bad Wolf's head getting chopped off or the Little Red Hen not sharing;])... with super fun illustrations to boot!
Oct 25, 2011
Karen
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I like any collection of fairy tales but her choice for Little Red Riding Hood was not the child friendly version and had an illustration of the wolf with his head flying off. There are plenty of children's fairy tale collections that don't make me uncomfortable. I wish I had flipped through it before I read it to the kids.
Apr 11, 2011
Jess
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LRRH, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Enormous Turnip, Henny Penny, Goldilocks, Little Red Hen, Three Little Pigs, & Musicians of Bremen
Serviceable collection of fairy tales with large pictures that would be great for story times. Kids in the third row will be able to see the pictures & details.*** I don't totally dig Cousin's illustrations, but that's a matter of personal taste.
Preview this before reading aloud to your kids/students to make sure you like the versions she wen More...
Serviceable collection of fairy tales with large pictures that would be great for story times. Kids in the third row will be able to see the pictures & details.*** I don't totally dig Cousin's illustrations, but that's a matter of personal taste.
Preview this before reading aloud to your kids/students to make sure you like the versions she wen More...
Aug 09, 2010
Judi
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Move over James Marshall--you finally have some competition. This is a solid collection of eight of the most told fairy tales, from Little Red Riding Hood to the Billy Goats Gruff. Each story is well told and straightforward and all are accompanied by Cousins' great child-like brightly colored illustrations. Excellent for either reading alone or sharing as a read aloud.
Feb 24, 2010
Shara
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This book is adorable!! I love how the fairy tails are not cleaned up of violence... and the illustrations are so quaint! This is a great collection of eight classic fairy tails with text tailored for read alouds for children, I would say, 3-8. I might even buy this one it is so adorable...
Sep 08, 2009
Melly
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Lucy Cousins (Maisy) makes no attempt to sugar-coat children's classics in this absolutely gorgeous collection. Wolves are boiled, beheaded, and eaten. The Little Red Hen does NOT share in the end. And she illustrates the Enormous Turnip in really sweetly. LOVE it.
