Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest

by Ole Könnecke

A funny and contemporary illustrated fairy tale about a strong heroine who saves the day, perfect for early readers.



Brave Dulcinea has known since she was small not to enter the dangerous magic forest where the witch has her castle. But her father hasn’t come home from collecting blueberries for her birthday pancakes. Did the witch cast a spell on him?

Dulcinea must brave the dark forest and sneak into the witch’s castle to steal the spell book and free him. Her father would hardly have named her after the brave Dulcinea if she couldn’t break a witch’s spell to celebrate her birthday with him!

Ole Könnecke’s funny, comic-style illustrations and humorous story turn the classic fairy tale on its head. Children aged 5 to 9, or young readers just starting out on independent reading, will love cheering on the brave and capable Dulcinea as she saves her father and gets him home just in time for pancakes.

Translated from the German edition by Shelley Tanaka.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Chapter Books, Magic, Family

62 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[Miriam]

Ein süßes, modernes und humorvolles Märchen (mit klassischen Märchenelementen) mit einer liebenswerten, mutigen und gewitzten Protagonistin, einem liebenswerten Papa, einer schusseligen Hexe und einer treuen Ente.

[Figgy]

A cute little fairytale that has elements of many we know and love... a witch that lives in the forest and will snatch you if you enter, magic, monsters in the moat, and a plucky young heroine who sets out, against the odds, to save the day and rescue her family.

Simple but evocative illustrations, all with shades of orange tinting to tie in with the cover, this book would be great for beginner reader who aren't ready for chapter books, but want something a little more challenging than a picture book.

This does have chapters, despite some chapters running all of two pages of text, which gives a decent place to stop and take a breath, whether the youngster is reading the book to themselves, or is having a hard time sitting still while you read it to them. This also lends itself to swapping who is reading the story, chapter by chapter, to help keep it fun and stop the youngest readers amongst us from getting hung up on the reading process with limited comprehension for the story itself.

[Mathew]

Dulcinea is very happy living in the woods with her father and the animals who provide for them. Although her father always allows her to play and explore and take risks, travelling into the forest beyond their land is forbidden for it is ruled by a terrible, angry witch. Yet when Dulcinea's birthday arrives and they released they're missing blueberries for her pancakes, her father 'must' break his own vow and enter the forest for the fruit...

Set with a variety of fairy-tale elements yet with a modern, female character full of sharp wits, Dulcinea is full of minimal yet delightfully surreal illustrations throughout. The confrontation between the witch and Dulcinea is fab. The story, presented in chapters, borders between brief writing but with a rich use of language. Translated by Shelley Tanaka.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro)]

Dulcinea has been told not to go in the forbidden forest, because an evil witch lives there. But when the witch puts her father under a spell, Dulcinea goes looking for the witch to find a way to save her father. She journeys through the forest, and outwits the old witch!

I loved this imaginative story so much! The creatures in the forest are so weird-looking, and the story is magical and exciting. There are also some really funny lines that had me laughing!

Dulcinea is so resourceful and smart! I was inspired by her courage and her love for her father. The way that Dulcinea tricks the witch was so interesting and unique.

I loved the cute illustrations in black and white and shades of red. The cartoony art style brings a light-hearted feeling to the story. Every page has something interesting or funny in the art work, and it's very attractive!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Lauralee]

Ein Märchen mit vielen klassischen Elementen und trotzdem einem modernen Touch - kinderfreundlich, witzig, toll erzählt!
Zum Vorlesen ab ca 5 geeignet, zum Selberlesen so ab Ende 2. Klasse, würde ich sagen.

[aqilahreads]

brilliant storytelling about dulcinea who lives happily with her father and on the day of her birthday, she has chosen to eat blueberry pancakes but her dad forgot to buy blueberries!! so off he went to the forbidden forest instead of the market to find them where he encountered the witch who turned him into a tree...its down to dulcinea to save her father next!

gecko press never fails to impress me, a light, delightful fairy tale indeed & the minimal colours used makes it all visually pleasing + an enjoyable experience to read. was truly inspired by dulcinea's courage and her love for her father. 💚

[Ashlee Null]

3.5

Add me on Storygraph: ashleekitty

[April Gray]

I loved this story! Such a good fairy tale, with all the right ingredients: Dulcinea, a brave and very clever girl, is our heroine; her father, who risks the deep dark woods to pick blueberries for her birthday breakfast and gets turned into a tree by a witch, is the loved one Dulcinea must save; and a very evil witch, who rules the deep dark woods is the villain who must be vanquished in order to set things right. The setting is primarily the deep dark woods and the witch's castle, with Dulcinea's and her father's farm making an appearance too. Dulcinea pulls quite a clever trick on the witch by insisting on a birthday wish before her punishment, which the witch agrees to grant; while the witch is occupied with wish-granting (I'm not spoiling what the wish was, but it's very clever), Dulcinea takes her spellbook and frees her father, and they go back home to have a birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes.
A fun and engaging story, great illustrations, and a sharp cookie of a heroine. Perfect!

#DulcineaintheForbiddenForest #NetGalley

[Erica]

About the same length as a folktale, and with similar characters to a folktale, but with a slightly different story than any of the known European folktales that have already been collected, published, and shared.

There are also weird mixed messages. For example; a gate in the fence to illustrate Dulcinea's father telling her never to enter into the forest...and then the father going right through the gate just 2 pages later.

There is humor, a clever heroine, a helpless parent, and a best-animal-friend, illustrated by simple line drawings filled in with a limited color palette of faded red, pale brown, grey, and black.

The publisher states clearly that their goal is to celebrate "unsameness" and encourage readers to be thoughtful & inquisitive, offering books that provide challenging and funny ways of seeing the world. (...from the backmatter.) In this effort, they don't completely fail, but they don't stand out much, either.

[Barbara]

When Dulcinea and her father get ready to enjoy some delicious pancakes for breakfast, they realize that there are no blueberries to add. He heads to the forest to pick some, figuring that the witch who lives nearby won't see him if he's quick. Unfortunately, she does, and puts a spell on him. It's up to Dulcinea to come to his rescue, sneak into the witch's castle, and find a way to change her father from a tree to a man once again. The story is filled with suspense as readers won't be sure how things will turn out and worry about her father's close call with a woodcutter. There are small illustrations included in the story to add to the text and reading enjoyment.

[Theediscerning]

Really fun, quick little fairy tale. Dulcinea's birthday is no birthday without blueberries on her pancakes for breakfast, so her father enters the forbidden forest to find some – only to fall foul of the wicked witch. It's up to the girl (complete with attendant duck in almost every frame of the marvellous illustrations) to rescue him. It's very light-hearted, but told really competently, and I can see its charms having wide appeal. Four and a half stars.

[寿理 宮本]

A cute folktale about a girl who was forbidden to go in to the witch's forest, and her father who disobeyed his own rule and paid for it. Luckily, this is the type of folktale where the young protagonist is courageous, determined, and clever enough to find her father and undo the curse on him, just in time to make her birthday happy after all! Also lovely in that technically, the witch isn't ousted—only VERY distracted, so it's sort of happy all around!

[Jolynne Dougherty]

Fairytale, strong heroine, witches - It's Dulcinea's birthday, and what a day she has. The plucky heroine goes on an adventure and returns home in time for pancakes with blueberries and a special book. The woodcutter made me catch my breath when he showed up.

[Vicki]

Very cute and funny story that would be good for early readers who like lots of pictures. Told in the simplistic, not-terribly-descriptive way that most fairy tales are told. I can see kids really enjoying this.

[Lily]

Dulcinea is cute. The fairy tale elements are surreal and self-aware, playing with the same old ideas in modern ways, the witch is really odd and funny, there's just little humors in here that I think are subtle enough, but silly. Very enjoyable.

[Claire]

This is a really cute fairytale. Extra star for the massive personality of the duck, who is on nearly every page, even though his expression rarely changes!

[Jessica]

Super adorable!
Keep an eye out for that singing witch.🧙‍♀️

[Susie]

Nice twist on the forbidden forest theme (and even a father who doesn't keep a promise) Leave it to a smart girl to save the day!

[Aurora]

Art was cute, story was a bit predictable.

[Roseann]

Bravo! What a wonderful, quick, lovely tale of the little girl who saves her loving father from an evil forest witch!
Translation is sweet.
A fairytale by Ole Konnecke (Gecko Press)

[Annie]

Bravo for a quick thinking Dulcinea, and a loving father, and, thankfully, for a quite stupid witch.

[Morgan]

Very cute and fun.

[Lyn]

Charming, amusing short book to read aloud.

[Maja]

Schon sehr niedlich!

[Miss]

This is such a cute not-so-scary fairytale. Perfect introduction to "scary" books for young readers.

[Christine Zandt]

In Ole Könnecke’s modern fairy tale, Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest, Dulcinea’s father goes missing on her birthday. Though she’s promised to never enter the forest (because of the witch), Dulcinea follows her father’s footprints into this forbidden place and soon discovers he’s been turned into a tree. “Dulcinea wasn’t going to let an old witch spoil her birthday,” so she sets off to find the witch and reverse the spell even though “nobody enjoys walking through an enchanted forest.”

This book is full of laughs, from the absentminded witch who carries her book of magic because she can’t remember her spells, to the comical depiction of Father as a tree. The determined expression on Dulcinea’s face contrasts with the silly-looking witch and monsters in her moat.

I like how this fairy tale is both a new story yet resonates with a classic feel. The limited earthy palate contributes a homey feel because, as we know, we’ve all been lost in the forest in a previous tale or two. Overall, this is a well-made, timeless book.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.