"Fairy Tale Comics" edited by Chris Duffy and written / illustrated by various authors and artists (First Second Publishing)

There have been many attempts to jazz up classic fairy tales, and turning them into comic strips isn't a particularly 'new' idea. But in this anthology simply titled "Fairy Tale Comics", well loved classics are turned into jazzy stories full of energy, pizazz and more than a dose of cheekiness.

The big draw here (if you'll pardon the pun) is seeing work by comic folk we already know and love. Luke Pearson (who is the utter genius behind the fabulous "Hilda" comics) puts his substantial talents towards a fabulous retelling of "The Boy Who Drew Cats" - which is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale. Elsewhere you've got an utterly wondrous version of "Snow White" by Jaime Hernandez and even one of our favourite fairy tales of all time, drawn and told beautifully here - "The 12 Dancing Princesses".

You already know we often champion comics as a way to engage reluctant readers, a way to present fabulous stories in a format that children take to like a duck takes to water, and the way comics are still as vibrant and exciting as we remember them as kids.

Your children might be a little bit fed up with constant reinventions of fairy tales but here everything feels vital and fresh, and it's a great little compendium to dip into over the space of a few nights for bed-time reads. Obviously comics aren't always a natural choice for reading aloud but we love them, tapping each speech bubble to follow the story together.

There's another volume in a similar vein from FirstSecond called "Nursery Rhyme Comics" - so we'll definitely be looking out for that.


Charlotte's best bit: The Twelve Dancing Princesses. A great story and really beautifully retold.

Daddy's Favourite bit: Gotta love Luke Pearson's amazing "The Boy Who Drew Cats" - basically the guy can do no wrong!

(Kindly sent to us through NetGalley by FirstSecond Publishing)