Genre 2 - Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cousins, Lucy. 2009. YUMMY: EIGHT FAVORITE FAIRY TALES. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763644749

2. PLOT SUMMARY
YUMMY is a compilation of eight cherished, children’s fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “Henny Penny,” “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Enormous Turnip,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “The Little Red Hen,” and “The Musicians of Bremen.” In each of her retellings, Cousins gives a straight-forward account of the tale’s events, disregarding the traditional sugar-coating often associated with such stories. Though, at time, brutal and violent, Cousins frames her stories in a humorous light that is accentuated with bold illustrations. With each tale, readers learn the importance of good versus evil and will discover that the common traits of fairy tales are still present in the pages.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lucy Cousins does an excellent job of creating simple and candid versions of many well-known fairy tales. Brute honesty provides a foundation of humor in which readers may interpret each story’s plot, characters, and theme. Ensuring that the traditional messages of good and evil and happily-ever-after (among many others) are present, readers come away from each story having experienced the moral theme intended through its words. In short, simple word choice, each story is upfront and clear in its telling, making interpretation easier for even novice readers. Bright, bold colors with simple lines facilitate illustrations that mirror the simplicity of the stories’ words. In a world where most fairy tales are presented in less abrupt wording and plots, Cousins does not hesitate to have “Granny” swallowed up by a wolf who soon has his head chopped off in one swift motion, nor does she censor the boiling death of the “Big, Bad Wolf” when at last pig number three traps him in a pot of scalding, hot water. The overall organization of the collection is clear and concise, and the author even chooses to incorporate some of the lesser known tales such as “The Enormous Turnip” and “Henny Penny.” Overall, this anthology of fairy tales is a dazzling and fun read whose pages jump out and come to life.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review in KIRKUS REVIEW: “on the whole this lap-sized collection offers younger children an eye-opening cross-section of the far-from-innocuous world of folk literature”
Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Beloved classics are successfully served by these bold, striking renditions”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Read YUMMY and then compare and contrast Cousin’s versions with other versions that the children might be more familiar with.
*Follow up with the introduction and reading of Cousins’ famous Maisy series.
*Allow students to illustrate their own versions of fairy tales, using YUMMY as a model text/illustration.