Not One Damsel in Distress: Heroic Girls from World Folklore

This week we’re reading — and loving — this collection of folk tales from around the world.  Here’s an excerpt from Jane Yolen’s open letter to her daughter and granddaughters that starts off the book:

“This book is for you because in it are folktales about regular sword-wielding, spear-throwing, villain-stomping rescuer-type heroes who also just happen to be female.  About women who use weapons or their wits or a combination of both to get away from danger or disaster.  Stories that range from the medieval armored knight Bradamante to the magic-wielding African Nana Miriam, from the Jewish pirate princess to the serpent-slaying daughter of a Japanese samurai.”

The stories in Not One Damsel in Distress: Heroic Girls from World Folklore were collected and told by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Susan Guevara and published by HMH Books for Young Readers.  This is a reissued edition with the original published in 2000.

I Feel Teal

Describing how we feel can be nebulous and sometimes we’re at a loss for words.  Enter I FEEL TEAL — the loveliest, multi-hued look at feelings — from sunny and blithe to gloomy and gray.  Brilliant, novel and fresh.  This one feels golden to us.

I Feel Teal was written by Lauren Rille, illustrated by Aimee Sicuro and published by Beach Lane Books.

In-Between Things

We’ve been fans of Priscilla Tey’s work for quite a while now, and are excited to see her debut picture book in which she introduces readers to the world of the in-between.  Her clever rhyming text goes beyond the concrete and obvious spatial concepts as she encourages readers to explore much more.  “Keep looking, eyes open, and in-between things will come clear.  All kinds of wacky and weird will appear.”  It’s a smartly written and layered story, and intriguing in the way the concept of in between is explored.  A pretty fantastic debut, if you ask us.

In-Between Things was written and illustrated by Priscilla Tey and published by Candlewick Press.

Walls

Maybe physical walls aren’t the kind that really divide us.  A thoughtful and thought-provoking book.

Walls was written by Brad Holdgrafer, illustrated by Jay Cover and published by Princeton Architectural Press.  It’ll be out on August 21.

Little Lit Book Series: Wordless Books

We’re sharing wordless picture books for this month’s #littlelitbookseries.  Wordless picture books are wonderful for so many reasons — they allow a reader to become an active participant in storytelling, to interact with the narrative and to interpret it in a multitude of ways.  Wordless books also provide opportunities for children to learn different lexicons depending on who’s telling the story, and to really understand the elements of story structure (characters, setting, problem, resolution, etc.).  When readers revisit wordless books, there are new nuances to discover and fresh takes to be had on the narrative.

When you open the door and your heart to something new and unfamiliar — and possibly strange — you just might find magic, mirth, beauty and friendship.  We love how the themes of curiosity and wonder unfold in DOOR, how JiHyeon Lee’s illustrations exude a soft, quiet exuberance and a subtle humor; and how her deft use of color plays an integral role in the narrative.

DOOR was written and illustrated by JiHyeon Lee and published by Chronicle Books.  It’ll be out on October 2.

Be sure to stop by @littlelitbookseries for more wordless books throughout the month and see what everyone’s sharing today by searching the hashtag #littlelitbookseries on Instagram.