More than a Picture Book

The Princess's Blankets, written by Carol Ann Duffy and illustrated by Catherine Hyde, is the only book that I've ever bought simply for the pictures. There's not much more to say. The story is a throwback to classic fairy tales. Written with an almost poetic sense of rhythm, it details the life of a princess who has been cold her entire life. Try as she (and her entire kingdom) might, she cannot be warm. Then a stranger with "hard, gray eyes like polished stones" comes to the kingdom and gives the princess rather peculiar blankets in an attempt to make her warm.

While I appreciate the story and its surprising nuances, the real pleasure of this book is in the illustrations. They are simply beautiful. This is the sort of art that you want to frame and hang in your living room. It's a book very, very worth purchasing just for the sake of taking long looks at the pictures. And that isn't something I can say about many books.

"Magic is born in death."

Okay, I openly admit that I bought Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison solely on the name and art. I’m a fan of lovely hand drawn book covers and retelling of classic fairy tales. Who isn’t?!* Though, for sooth, Snow White is not one of my favorites.

The story is very German/Brother’s Grimm-ish. A bit gruesome at time, filled with dark forests and grim peasant villages. A true telling of fairy tales has to be a bit gruesome to stay canon. Especially the Snow White one. It was vaguely disturbing as a Disney cartoon. Really? Cut out Snow White’s heart?! Really?! What was she doing? What, what was she doing??

But this story isn’t about the beauteous red lipped wonder. It’s about two sisters, both apprentices to a witch. One is destined to be a wicked queen, and the other to be her instrument: Mira Mirror. Even someone with the gentlest personality can be tainted by evil if they come in contact with it for hundreds of years. How can you redeem yourself?

I really enjoyed this story for the most part. Especially the gradual change in all of the characters. It has one or two scenes of disturbing violence, but you mostly expect it. The story style is a bit choppy, seen through the eyes of a mirror being toted around by a teenage girl. But overall I’d give it a 7/8 out of ten.

A must for lovers of fairy tales.

*Ummm...losers is the correct answer to that.