Credit where credit is due, there’s no way I could keep up this 31 Days, 31 Lists series if I hadn’t put in my time with New York Public Library.  It was there that I learned precisely how to read, track, remember, and call forth the books I read in a single year.  The 100 Books List the library puts out every year proved to be my training grounds.  I loved working on that list committee.  I also loved how that list was separated.  One section was always dedicated to Fairy Tales and Folktales, and I’ve maintained the tradition here.

A generation ago, fairy tales and folktales were ubiquitous.  Because libraries made up a significant share of the book buying market, they could set the terms.  And what they liked were fairy and folktales.  The publishing industry complied and life was good.  The rise of big box stores, to say nothing of the internet, heralded the end of the fairy/folktale era.  With libraries only a fraction of the buying force, the picture book became king and the fairy and folktales almost disappeared entirely.  It’s only in the last few years that small publishers have picked up the slack.  While The Big Six become The Big Five soon to be The Big Four, small independent publishers are daring to do what the big guys won’t.  Publishing these books has become a kind of rebellion with kids reaping  the benefits.

Here are the good books of 2016!

2016 Fairy Tales / Folktales

Babushka: A Christmas Tale by Dawn Casey, ill. Amanda Hall

I wouldn’t be surprised if I learned that there was a small running debate as to whether the story of the kind-hearted Babushka was strictly considered to be a folktale.  I think it is, and I think it’s great.  And the perfect book to read before the holiday season as well!

Beauty and the Beast retold by Mahlon F. Craft, ill. Kinuko Y. Craft

Hooray!  A new Craft!!  How long has it been?  Whatever the case, Craft was always the illustrator I’d turn to when I got  small patron insisting on “Pretty fairytales”.  Which, as I soon learned, was a desire that could easily be satisfied by just handing the kid one of Craft’s books.  No one was quite as consistently appealing as Craft.

The Blue Jackal by Shobha Viswanath, ill. Dileep Joshi

Caterpillar Woman by Nadia Sammurtok, ill. Carolyn Gan

Inhabit Media is a small publisher that consistently puts out remarkable Inuit stories.  There were quite a few in 2016 but this one stood out as my favorite. I like it for its flaws.  Not in spite of them.

Dwarf Nose by Wilhelm Hauff, ill. Elizabeth Zwerger

Technically this book is a reprint.  Technically I don’t care. I love the disjointed nature of their story.  I love that the villain’s name is Herbwise.  And, naturally, I like the unexpected ending.

Farmer Falgu Goes on a Trip by Chitra Soundar, ill. Kanika Nair

Consider it a version of Zemach’s It Could Always Be Worse.

First Light, First Life: A Worldwide Creation Story by Paul Fleischman, ill. Julie Paschkis. 

Fleischman and Paschkis paired once before to collect worldwide stories and song and riddles and rhymes in a Cinderella Story.  Now he’ coming back and there’s going to be girls.

Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray

We don’t have a lot on this list for kids that are below the ages of 6.   Here’s one they’ll ask for again and again.

I Am Pan! by Mordicai Gerstein

A little Greek mythology never hurt anyone.  And who knew that Gerstein had this much stamina in him?  This thing writes, pops, jumps, and does a tapdance on your head, if you let it.

Little Red by Bethan Woollvin

Everyone appears to be just GAGA about this work!  The red, black, and white and near wordless plotting work in terms.  A lovely retelling.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Thomas Baas

A Word of Warning: If you don’t care for rats, this may not be the book for you.  But just look at those colors!  Gorgeous.

Prince of Fire: The Story of Diwali retold by Fatinder Verma, ill. Nilesh Mistry

Insofar as I can tell there hasn’t been a definitive Diwali origin published in at least 10 years.

The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

Come to think of it, warriors don’t tend to marry princesses in love stories.  That’s okay.  It’s still a cool tale.

The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan

Snippets of Grimm stories are paired with Tan’s remarkable interior models and photography.  Creepy beautiful, if that’s a thing.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen, retold and illustrated by Joohee Yoon

It’s the original story, which is to say it’s just as depressing as you remembered.  Still, the typography, design and colors are superb.

Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal by Donna Jo Napoli, ill. Christina Balit

That would be the winner of the Best Tagline award.  Well done.

Thumbelina by Xanthe Gresham Knight, ill. Charlotte Gastaut

Oh, it’s so good!  I’ve always been very concerned with the mother that Thumbelina abandons in this story.  This book, for the very first  time in my experience, tackles that loose end head-on.  Woohoo!

Vasilisa the Beautiful: A Russian Folktale by Anna Morgunova

There’s a bit of Klimpt to the art here, I’ll admit it.But otherwise I’d say that the book is an original.  Love the retelling, adore the art, and I hope the kids appreciated it.

Interested in the other lists of the month? Here’s the schedule so that you can keep checking back: