TODAY: 'Koshka's Tales' Back In Print (James Mayhew Dubbed 'Fairy Godfather Of Art & Tales' For The Kids Of The World)

Yes, James Mayhew is indeed the Fairy Godfather of art, music and tales for kids everywhere! That's the only succinct description that fits his extensive work and influence, not to mention magic... but first, let's take a look at this classic and beloved book (well worn in our own library) that has been unavailable for twenty years. Until today.

Today his Koshka's Tales is back in beautiful, quality print and available to share with the next generation.

Looks lovely, right? But who, you ask, is this 'Koshka', who gets to tell their version of The Snow Maiden, Vasilisa the Fair, Sadko the Minstrel, and The Firebird?

Here's a hint:

Close-up from the cover of  UK 2000 edition

And here's the answer:

Koshka is simply the Russian word for 'cat'

(from the Author's Note in the 1993 edition)

Yes: These are "Cat's Tales"!

(Not, 'Koshka the Cat, by the way. That would be like saying these are "Cat the Cat's Tales"... heh.)

Here's a little extra info on Koshka, and why Mayhew chose her to tell the tales, from the Author's Note in the 2000 UK edition:

Publisher's description:

Meet Koshka, the extraordinary storytelling cat, as she spins a series of dazzling tales for a royal audience – accounts of the enchanting Snowmaiden, Sadko the minstrel and the Princess of the Sea, Prince Ivan, the Grey Wolf and the Firebird, and Baba-Yaga, the witch who lives in a hut with chicken legs. 

Graffeg is delighted to be republishing Koshka’s Tales, a wonderfully imaginative adaptation of five timeless stories from Russian folklore, written and illustrated by James Mayhew. Featuring unforgettable tales of handsome princes, wizards and princesses, golden apples and magical realms, the collection was first published in 1993 by Kingfisher Books and has been out of print for over 20 years.

Here's a gorgeous book trailer which treats you to glimpses of the delight waiting inside the covers - but let us warn you: seeing the illustrations online is a very poor substitute for the real thing. As beautiful as the pics in this post and video are, when they're on a page in front of you, they take on an extra dimension. The illustrations seem to refuse to lie flat on the page, but instead, draw you into the story-world and take on a sort of life.
It's magic!
Enjoy:

As a bonus, a special calendar is now also available. (Shipped from the UK.) This time, not only will you be able to enjoy a crisp and beautifully printed copy of Mayhew's illustrations but you'll be able to put them on your wall... Or perhaps carefully detach the pages and frame them, or put them together and make a storytelling frieze to evoke magic in your room. Your choice. ;)

James Mayhew is not only a talented artist and writer but he spreads joy and beauty every day on Twitter via his account @mrjamesmayhew, with a special #BookIllustrationOfTheDay, and seems to be friends with everyone who follows him. He's also one of the kindest and most encouraging people in the Twitterverse and makes the world a better place this way every day.

But, honestly, we don't know how he makes time to for this, because James (we feel like we can call him James here, since he encourages us to on Twitter!) is a very busy man! Ever since 2007 he has been organizing classical music concerts for children, with wonderful orchestras, and not only presenting them, but painting - live - during the concert, combining art, music and storytelling. It is phenomenal to see (and we've only been able to see brief video clips!). More information is available via his website HERE. But in the meantime, we'll share some pics we love of him working in his passion:

The 'About' page on James' website details the HUGE amount of work he is doing but a driving force for him is to function as an ambassador and mentor, of art, music and culture, especially for children. Here's a very small excerpt from his bio page which reflects one part of the officially recognized capacity of his very personal mission:

I’m very pleased to be an adviser to Action for Children's Arts - a charity that campaigns for children's right to access the arts. I’m also a patron of Magic Lantern an art education charity who bring high quality art workshops and presentations into schools all over the country. In 2017 I joined Tanita Tikaram as an ambassador for the humanitarian charity Side by Side with Refugees.

a.k.a. Fairy Godfather of Art & Tales For Kids Everywhere

This is a completely legit title. Fairies are just not great at printing out certificates, but still: Legit. (So mote it be!)

Wish you could see him in action? In order to celebrate the re-release of Koshka's Tales, James is having a super-amazing competition, which is open to all UK & Irish schools. The prize is:

A FREE RUSSIAN-FAIRY-TALE-THEMED SCHOOL VISIT IN 2020, FROM JAMES MAYHEW!

"To enter, schools need to use the book to CREATE! Art, film, story... *anything*."

Gosh that's fabulous! Makes us wish we could have the US kid classes we know, enter too...

Details for the contest are HERE and the contest closes on Tuesday March 31, 2020, with the winner announced on social media (Twitter ad Facebook) Friday, April 24th 2020. Runner up classes will get Koshka themed swag. (There are going to be some very happy kids!)

For the rest of the world, who can join in online, James is also about to give a special #artychat: 'The Art of Painting to Music' (links below are clickable to take you to more information):

Two weeks until the super talented @mrjamesmayhew co hosts our #artychat on 'The art of painting to music' on 6th Nov. 8pm GMT.

Do you paint to music? Does it influence your creativity?
Pre-chat info here: https://t.co/nmQD3zvfMO

Really hope you can join us! pic.twitter.com/iDLdR581a4

— #ArtyChat (@artychat) October 23, 2019

This event is going on our Newsroom calendar.

By the way, did we mention that this new hardcover book is now out?

TODAY: October 24th, 2019

You can purchase a copy HERE (UK, and they ship internationally too), today.

If you already have a copy in your personal library (like we have) then consider getting a new copy for a holiday gift. This lovely collection is magic in book form and easily shows why so many folks fall in love with Russian tales.

Extra special note for fairy tale folks, storytellers & folklorists: We are delighted to let you know Mayhew has included notes on his main sources for the stories (which include operatic libretti as well as books) under the 'acknowledgments' at the front of the book, and his Author's Note at the end includes some history, context and much more useful information if you'd like to dig a little deeper. How much more can this Fairy Godfather endear himself to us?!

"The Secret of the Tattered Shoes" - A Fresh, Dark & Poetic Retelling by Jackie Morris

Now available in the UK (and coming to the US in Fall 2020) is a new and "poetically dark" retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (also known as The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces). Always popular among fairy tale fans, and often voted as "one of the fairy tales I wish Disney would animate", there haven't been as many retellings as one would think, though it appears to have gained notice again recently and we're seeing projects bubble up using this fairy tale here and there...

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is from publisher Tiny Owl's series One Story, Many Voices, in which authors and illustrators explore well-known fairy tales and folktales from different perspectives. (They are the same folks who are behind Cinderella of the Nile.)

Here's the description for the new Morris/Abdollahi collaboration:

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is a fresh interpretation of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale about twelve princesses who are locked in at night, yet whose dancing shoes are still worn down by morning. A young soldier is tasked to discover their night-time adventures. But unlike the story told by the Brothers Grimm, this soldier seeks a different ending. Jackie's dark and poetic text updates this well-known tale and shows how stories evolve and adapt over time.
Beautifully illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, who has created stunning puppet-like illustrations in rich and delicate detail, this unique illustrative style brings the story to life and perfectly encapsulate the beauty and melancholy of the story.

Have a look at the lovely book trailer by publisher Tiny Owl:

Made known to the next generation most recently via her award-winning illustrations for The Lost Words, (with writing by Robert Mcfarlane) Jackie Morris, an illustrator and author for many years, has put her writing to work and created a poetic retelling of the fairy tale.

Iranian artist, animator, and teacher, Ehsan Abdollahi, who uses handmade papers in his collages, has created beautiful and eye-catching puppet-like illustrations that Morris says captures her vision for the tale exactly as she meant. "The paintings are so beautiful. With the echo of birdsong in the feathers become leaves. The textures are wonderful, the characters just lovely. "

About her story, Jackie says:

"It concerns a man, traumatised by the choices he has made, tired of life, weary of the world, a wanderer. He wanders, this lost soul, and meets a wise woman who lives in the forest, more at home with the creatures of the world than the human creatures. She sees the damage to his soul, sends him on his way, hopes he will find peace. Wishes it to be so. And she gives him a gift and a slight piece of advice. He meets women of another kind and undertakes a task, sure in the knowledge that it will end in his death.The ending might surprise. Does he find the peace his heart seeks, or does he choose death?"

Photo via Jon Biddle 

@jonnybid on Twitter

You can see a sort-of behind-the-scenes of the illustrations and layout as the book was being created that Jackie shared on her blog HERE, which reveals some of Ehsan's fascinating process. Ehsan's animator-eye is very evident as he assembles his collages! (A lovely example is shown below.)

Here's a review by Liz Robinson at LoveReading4Kids, explaining a little of how this retelling is unique:

In process piece for The Secret of the Tattered Shoes
by Ehsan Abdollahi

Exquisitely gorgeous illustrations accompany a well known fairy tale with a difference, an edge. Tiny Owl Publishing have a series of books called ‘One Story, Many Voices’, where authors and illustrators explore well known fairy tales from different perspectives. Here, the Twelve Dancing Princesses from the Brothers Grimm are transformed into The Secret of the Tattered Shoes by Jackie Morris. I opened the package containing the book and exclaimed in delight. The illustrations by Ehsan Abdollahi carry the story perfectly, the gold glistens, the pears call to be picked, the background as stunning as the puppet-like characters. The story by award-winning Jackie Morris sits boldly on the page, simple, evocative, familiar yet different. The love that Jackie Morris holds for nature shines through, while the ending made me smile, it suits, it feels, well, just so right. The Secret of the Tattered Shoes conjures the traditional fairy tale yet awakens new feelings and thoughts. I absolutely adored this rich and vibrant tale, both for the new interpretation, and the illustrations which adorn it.

Sold yet? We are!

UK fairy tale folks can go to Tiny Owl and order HERE. Keen folk in the US (who don't have the patience to wait till Fall 2020) can order a minimum of two directly from Tiny Owl, to help support their awesome indie mission of providing new perspectives on familiar fairy tales, (you can contact them through Twitter for the exact details), and they'll ship to you.

Juliet Marillier Retells "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" in Audible Exclusive "Beautiful"

Yes - you read correctly: this is an ears-only story!

Most fairy tale fans have heard of Juliet Marillier. Ever since meeting Sorcha in the first book of the Sevenwaters series, Daughter of the Forest, still many folks' favorite retelling of The Wild Swans, she's been an author who guarantees a fresh, folklore-based and well-researched take on any fairy tale she puts her pen to.

This time she's tackled the popular Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and, true to form, the narrator isn't someone you'd suspect.

Marillier's look at the beloved tale is told from the perspective of one of the players in the story who was taken advantage of, then unceremoniously left behind as the main couple "get their Happily Ever After".

Here's the description:

Illustration by Anton Lomaev for the novel East, written by Edith Pattou

With the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon as her inspiration, Juliet Marillier weaves a magical story of a young princess' search for her true self.
Hulde is a queen's daughter and lives in a palace. But her life is lonely. Growing up atop the glass mountain, she knows only her violent and autocratic mother and a household of terrified servants.

Then a white bear named Rune comes to visit, and Hulde learns what kindness is.

But the queen has a plan for Hulde. When she turns 16, she will wed the most beautiful man in all the world. Hulde has never met her intended husband, and her mother refuses to explain the arrangement. Hulde becomes desperate to find out more and seeks the help of a magic mirror. Perhaps someone is coming to her rescue.

On her wedding day, Hulde's existence is turned upside down. For the first time she leaves the glass mountain behind, setting out to be as brave as the heroines in her beloved storybook.

The journey will test Hulde to the limit. Can she overcome her fears and take control of her own life?

Marillier posted this little insight on her personal blog:

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Bev Johnson

Beautiful (the novel) is in three parts. Part one follows the pattern of the fairy tale, though the central character is not the white bear prince or the intrepid young woman who travels east of the sun and west of the moon to save him from a curse. Our narrator, whom I named Hulde, only had a bit-part in that original story. The novel-length version takes Hulde way out of her comfort zone as she heads off into the unknown world beyond the glass mountain, to find out what it means to make your own story. I really loved writing this book and I hope readers will enjoy it too. It has adventures and catastrophes and a dragon. Beautiful is suitable for both adult and young adult readers.  

One reviewer, Steff (Mogsy) at Bibliosanctum, had some interesting things to add about the book, which made us more inclined to consider taking the time to listen:

Hulde is what you would call the bit-parter, the forgotten one. Not the bold and indomitable heroine, nor the girl who gets the guy, she is in fact the troll princess, the quiet and unassuming daughter of the power-hungry Troll Queen. Marillier has described Hulde as “rather hard done by” in the original tale, so her novel was a chance to explore the character and her viewpoint in more detail. The first part of Beautiful tells of her childhood high in the mountain castle, growing up under the thumb of her temperamental and ambitious mother. Hulde is told that when she reaches age sixteen, she will be married to the most handsome prince in the land, though having been sheltered and isolated all her life, our protagonist isn’t really sure what to make of that. Her only friend—and the only one she’s ever had those kinds of feelings for—is Rune, the kindly white bear who only visits the castle every three years. 

Well, knowing the gist of the original fairy tale, you can probably guess what became of that relationship and how Hulde took it. Hard done by, indeed. After the introduction, I began to better understand the author’s fascination for the forgotten troll princess’ role in the story as well as her motivation to come up with the next chapter for her character, and I was glad to see that parts two and three of Beautiful did just that. Following Hulde after she finally steps out from the shadow of her mother, this book chronicles the epic journey of her self-discovery.

While Marillier did publish a novella-length version in the Aurum anthology late last year, this story, released in May 2019, is novel-length, and clocks in at 7+ hours of listening time. To date, if you want the whole story, this audiobook exclusive is the only way to go. (We hope that changes in the future!)

You can have a sample listen at Amazon HERE or at Audible HERE. It's free with a 30-day trial of Audible.

Graphic Adaptation of "Snow, Glass, Apples" Has A Feral Magic (Preview!)

Lies and half-truths fall like snow, covering the things that I remember, the things I saw. A landscape, unrecognizable after a snowfall; that is what she has made of my life. - Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

A graphic novel adaptation of Snow, Glass, Apples is nearing release, and the more we see, the more of artist Colleen Doran's work on this project, the more excited we are. But note - this is not your mother's Snow White...

Readers will know our Editor has a soft spot for Snow White, and may also know Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples is one of her favorite retellings, (the audio recording is particularly memorable) so has had this pre-ordered since it was announced. If you're not familiar with Gaiman's retelling you might want to know 'blood' is key in this version.

Synopsis: Terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel the creature and save her kingdom, a not-so-evil queen desperately tries to stop a happily ever after that was never supposed to be. Stopping ever after, however, is no small task…

'Dark beginnings'

Here's what you need to know about the new graphic novel:

Colleen Doran took inspiration from (Neil Gaiman would say 'channeled') Irish Arts & Crafts genius Harry Clarke, famous for both his illustrations and his stained glass, to style her adaptation. Harry Clarke's work is both very 'fairy tale' (beautiful!) and at the same time feral. (A quick google search for Harry Clarke images will show you what we mean.) Doran's images do more than provide visuals for Gaiman's story and true to Clarke's style, we get an additional subtext layering the story - one that doesn't shy away from the darker themes Gaiman explores.

If you're wondering, "Just how dark could it be, really?" Gaiman's retelling is one of the most memorable "revisionings" of Snow White to date, complete with flipping the script on who should be terrified of whom, and combines it with a hard-left into Anne Rice territory. (And yes, "V is for Vampire". Did we mention this is not for kids?)

'Passion'

The graphic novel includes an afterword by artist Doran, in which she provides a few in-progress sketches and gives some information on how she created the artwork. We are intrigued - it looks especially time-consuming - not just from a decorative point-of-view but also the work of including different design motifs and "visual subtext" that adds it's own layer of the story.

'A lonely soul'

Here are some excerpts from a very interesting and poetic advanced-preview review by Arpad Okay for DoomRocket:

If Snow, Glass, Apples was once a children’s tale, the art is its connection to those storybook roots. The look is the close of the fairy tale age, as suited for temple walls or stained glass as it is for a golden-bound board book. The story is suitable for neither, full of sex, suffering, and psychedelics. When the forests were wild and old things still dwelled there. 

Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran have turned Snow White inside out, adding other folk tale traditions, the European Christian fetish for suffering idols, and a splash of V for Vendetta self-reliance. It’s a raunchy, debauched, Grand Guignol take on a Grimm story. 

...Doran’s adaptation has unearthed something within Gaiman’s short story that has elevated it to more than it was before. Snow, Glass, Apples is a mixture of comics tradition—showing what was written—and the picturebook tradition of framing what was written in the iconography it inspires. Doran has pulled an illustrated encyclopedia out of the cultural roots of Gaiman’s dreams and Grimm’s world.

'Hunger'

We recommend reading the whole review HERE. The review definitely reads as being written by someone who is still emerging from the dream haze one can get caught in when immersed in Snow, Glass, Apples.

While you enjoy the previews and "sneaky-peeks", as Colleen herself called them, here's a final note about the work that she posted on ADistantSoil, back in January:

Doran's first work (highschool!) "Holy Grail"
in style of Harry Clarke (click to enlarge)

I’m working in a style I’ve adapted from long study of the work of Irish Arts and Crafts Movement illustrator and stained glass creator Harry Clarke. I’ve admired his work since discovering it as a teenager. I mistook his drawings for those of Aubrey Beardsley, whom I also admire, though Clarke is far more macabre and had a longer career. Like Beardsley, he died young. Clarke passed away at age 41 after an amazingly prolific career. 

I’ve referenced a few of his drawings in the images for Neil’s book. 

Please be advised, this is a dark, mature fantasy: not for children at all. 

This highly decorative style and romantic approach suits me, and I enjoy everything about doing this book and this look. All of the drawings are by hand, and the colors are digital. I think I’d like to have a go at another work in this style.

'Taking the apple'

You can view a "live-draw video" by Colleen HERE, made while she works on Snow, Glass, Apples, in which she discusses cartoonist Rosie O'Neill, creator of the Kewpies. It's about 50 minutes long but very worth it if you're interested in Colleens' work or the importance of forgotten female cartoonist pioneers like O'Neill.

More sneaky peeks below (some of the work is in-progress):

One last note on ore-orders (which are an immense help to both Colleen and Neil): if you have access to a local comic book store you can pre-order for the earlier Comic Book store release date of August 7th, 2019 (you lucky ducks!), otherwise you can pre-order through Amazon, who is releasing it on August 20th, 2019 (and if you don't hear from us that day, you can assume its because we are caught up n the Doran-Gaiman world of Snow, Glass, Apples.

SOURCES REFERENCED:

• Breathtakingly ornate ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ a debauched, Grand Guignol take on Grimm by Arpad Okay for DoomRocket
• Dark Horse Comics Announces ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ Graphic Novel by GraveDecay
• Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran Reinvent Snow White in Snow, Glass, Apples Preview by Matthew Aguilar for ComicBook.com
• Colleen Doran's "Sneaky peeks" of her upcoming work on Twitter - posted by Colleen Doran for sharing
• Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples by Colleen Doran for A Distant Soil
• All art is by Colleen Doran for Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples for Dark Horse Books

Jane Yolen's Anticipated Baba Yaga "Verse Novel" and How Taisia's 'Ask Baba Yaga' Advice Column Helped Make it Happen

Yolen’s Finding Baba Yaga is a story in verse
about a teenage runaway who finds herself drawn
into the world of the mythical Slavic witch,
as she sets out to make her own fate,
“a theme that has never been more timely than it is now.”

It's Ms. Yolen's first ever "verse novel" (see below for details on its inspiration) and to say it's highly anticipated by the fairy tale community and Baba Yaga aficionados, might be understating things a tad. Best of all, it's nearly here...

• There is a title. (Finding Baba Yaga)

• There is a book. (It's in the "pre-release" promotion phase)

• There is a release date. (October 30, 2018 - that's this year!)

• There is a cover. (See above)

• And there is an excerpt! (Click HERE, and scroll down, to read it)

• There is also SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT we need to clear up... (read on - you can take a shortcut to the words in bold if you're in a rush)

Little Ivan and Baba Yaga by Julie Rouviére

We're talking about Jane Yolen's long-anticipated book in verse, Finding Baba Yaga. The Mary Sue got the exclusive cover reveal and interview so we're pointing the way, in case you missed the announcement.

There's a little bit of information we wanted to set straight, however. We were very surprised to find Once Upon A Blog/InkGypsy credited with posting the Ask Baba Yaga advice and for being the catalyst that got the book going. In Jane Yolen's introduction, she adds this PS:

PS: In July 2013, I discovered the very strange website http://fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.co.uk which has an ongoing set of weekly posts by Baba Yaga as a Lonely Hearts columnist. The site is written by someone known anonymously as InkGypsy, reputed to be a Russian poet who grew up in the UK.Whoever she is, she’s hilarious and provocative. These poems would not exist without her posts.

While we did post the Ask Baba Yaga columns, weekly as could be managed at the time, Gypsy (aka InkGypsy) did not write them. She only included a personal commentary, added a picture and formatted the posts. The main content, the advice - questions and answers - were, and have always been, the brilliant work of Russian-American writer and poet, aka the "hilarious and provocative"  Taisia Kitaiskaia, and Taisia very kindly gave us permission to reblog these brilliant nuggets of advice at Once Upon A Blog in an ongoing manner.

(Note: We were not even the original publishing 'home' of these letters of advice. That honor - and credit of discovery - belongs to The Hairpin. We have always acknowledged Taisia as the writer and Oracle "speaking on our behalf to Baba Yaga", as well as the original source of The Hairpin, and have linked to her, and The Hairpin, on every Ask Baba Yaga post, but we're also aware that in this age of social media, end matter is easy to skim over and can easily be missed.)

We are so very happy we've helped Taisia's work be seen by more people. Hopefully, even more folks will seek out Taisia's writing and her other wonderfully unique book Literary Witches (created in collaboration with Katy Horan), now her column has been credited in Jane Yolen's newest book. We just want to be very clear that all credit for any creative inspiration lies with our friend Taisia Kitaiskaia and we're very grateful she allowed Once Upon A Blog to be a part of the journey to publication because.. that's right, Taisia's columns have been expanded and made into a book! It's appropriately titled: Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles 

Check it out! >>>>>>>

(Psst! Expect a giveaway of that awesome collection in the near future...)

Here is a sneak peek of one of the nuggets of advice included in Ask Baba Yaga (the lovely illustrations and design motifs are by Brenna Thummler:

 

Returning to Finding Baba Yaga, we will admit, knowing now that Taisia's columns kick-started Jane Yolen's writing of her newest book - written entirely in verse! - that makes it a guaranteed sell for us! While we wish we could own every copy of Jane Yolen's books, she is so wonderfully prolific we have to sadly admit we haven't quite completed our (ongoing) collection of her works. This one, however, is moving not only to our shopping basket but will be put firmly on top of our must-read pile as soon as it appears. Poetry is something that's not always easy to read but Yolen's verse often changes minds about that. It's just a different pace for her wonderful storytelling.

Here's what Ms. Yolen had to say to The Mary Sue about creating the work: 

Artist unknown
(pls comment if you know so
we can correct the credit)

Baba Yaga is my culture hero—the strongest and greatest witch in the world. She makes her own way, is both anarchic and eternal, has transportation that runs on pure energy which has the added value of not destroying the earth, and she always says what she thinks. How could you not admire her? 

I first learned about Baba Yaga as a ballet kid in the 1940s, one of those New York City girls studying at Balanchine’s school of ballet. Maria Tallchief was my ballerina crush and she once hung her practice tutu on my locker! She was the world’s greatest dancer at the time, and her most iconic role was Firebird. 

Being a bookish kid, from a Russian Jewish background, I wanted to find out more about Firebird—and there she was, on the pages of some long-forgotten book in my parents’ library, along with the other two famous Russian folklore characters—Koschei the Deathless, and Baba Yaga. 

So from the time I was about eight years old, I wanted to be Baba Yaga, gnashing my iron teeth. Riding in a mortar steered by a pestle. Living in a little house that walked about on chicken feet. Well, since I couldn’t, I wrote about her when I got older—in a picture book called “The Flying Witch,” in a short story called “Boris Chernevsky’s Hands,” in a graphic novel called “Curses, Foiled Again,” and in a novel written with Midori Snyder, Except the Queen. Except. . . Midori claimed the Baba as her character before I could do so, so I invented three black witch sisters living in Harlem to make up for my loss. 

All the while, I was writing poetry about Baba Yaga and one day I realized I had almost enough for a possible collection, but there was a story beating inside me that pulled all the poems together, and insisted on being told. And so my first ever verse novel was born. It took possibly four years in the writing, and four more in the selling, but when my editor at Tor, Susan Chang said: “I don’t actually like poetry and I couldn’t stop reading this mss.” I thought: maybe this will actually become a book some day! 

And as if I were the Baba herself, my prophecy has come true!

And we couldn't be more thrilled! 

While the sneak peek gives us the introduction and the first verse, introducing the idea of Baba Yaga to the reader, knowing the Lonely Hearts advice column sparked the idea of a teenage runaway finding her way into the realm of our favorite witch, makes us mightily intrigued. 

Here's the official description of Finding Baba Yaga by legendary writer, and "America's Hans Christian Andersen" Jane Yolen:

Baba Yaga by Rima Staines

A young woman discovers the power to speak upand take control of her fate―a theme that has never been more timely than it is now… 

You think you know this story. 

You do not. 

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself.... 

A mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific author and poet Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America.”

You can pre-order Finding Baba Yaga HERE.

A Look At The Ash Lad With Translator Simon Hughes

Ash Lad and the Troll by Thomas Gronbukt

At first glance, a name like 'Ash Lad' might lead someone not familiar with Norwegian tales to think this popular character was just a male version of Cinderella. While the two characters share some aspects beyond the name similarities, such as a lowly position in their household and caring for the fire, Ash Lad has much more in common with the English Jack and the Russian Ivan. In their respective folklore and fairy tales, all three of them, while usually considered a little dim, or naive, are not necessarily the idiots the rest of the village (or family) would say they are. Sometimes they are quite smart, but also sometimes not, depending on the tale. What can be agreed on though, is that they're all, very, very lucky.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article on Ash Lad (Askeladden) adds this little nugget, explaining partly why we make the Cinderella association, though the earliest known tale uses the name Askefis*:

In Asbjørnsens's first edition (1843), the name is rendered as Askepott, which in Norway is commonly associated with Cinderella. This was later turned into Askeladden by Moltke Moe.

Our guest blogger today, Simon Hughes, looks at how the name Ash Lad came to be, and why it can be confusing, even, at times, misleading.

The Ash Lad

(Behind the Name)

by Simon Hughes

(re-posted in full with kind permission)

The protagonist in a good number of Norwegian folktales, Askeladden (often translated as “Boots”, or “the Ash Lad”) is an apparent naïf, though he subsequently shows himself to be witty, shrewd, and fantastically resourceful. The oldest recorded form of the name is Oskefis (“ash-blower” - although “fis” has evolved to mean “fart” in modern Norwegian), denoting one who blows the embers to keep the fire going, a job often reserved for the lowest member of the household. Later oral traditions give the name Oskeladd, Oskelabb, Oskelamp, or Oskefot, where the second stem (-ladd, -labb, -lamp, -fot) denotes a rough woollen sock or slipper, suggesting this character has his feet in, or close to, the hearth.

Theodor Kittelsen - The Ash Lad Poking in the Ashes
(FTNH Ed: We like how he is being creative with the embers!)

In some tales, Askeladden's forename is given as Espen, Svein, Halvor, Lars, Hans, or Tyrihans. Tyrihans is a household function, though, like Askeladden: “Hans who looks after the "tyrived”, tyrived being the resin-laden pinewood used as kindling. This name suggests that Askeladden has complete responsibility for the fire, from collecting kindling, to lighting it, to tending it - quite an important job on the farm, in fact.**

Thanks Simon! 

You can read more of Simon's project of translating Norwegian Folktales (that is, to complete the translation of all of Asbjørnsen and Moe's collected tales to English), at his blog HERE. Here's his explanation of the project to inspire you to explore the ever-growing treasure trove there:

About the Norwegian Folktales Project by Simon Hughes 

The collection 

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe collected and published Norwegian folk tales and legends in the middle of the 19^thcentury. Whilst some of the tales are very well known in the English-speaking world, such as "The Three Billy-goats Gruff," many more are completely unknown, never having been translated. Imagine! All the trolls and hulders and nisses you may not have read about, yet. 

(FTNH Ed. As an example, The Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library edition of Norwegian Folktales contains 36 of the 110 listed as being collected, not including the 31 additional tales from the 'Round the Yule Log' collection, which doesn't count the variants of a few of those either. All other A&M English collections we've found have the phrase "selected from the collection of" in the subtitle. Even with the final tale numbers being a little difficult to count in light-research-mode, it's clear most English collections fall far short of including the bulk, let alone all, of Asbjørnsen and Moe's collected tales, so we're very excited to learn of this project!)

The project 

My intention with this project is to give the collection the treatment it deserves as a part of our world literature, and translate and publish the folklore that Asbjørnsen and Moe collected, in English analogues to the original publications. I am beginning with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen's Norwegian Hulder Tales and Folk Legends (1845/ 48), which has not appeared in English before.As I progress, I will continue to publish each tale on this site, when I have edited it enough to call it a final draft.

Simon (click his name to learn more about him) has a mailing list to keep you in the loop for updates and new tales, which we highly recommend joining. He also has a newly published, intriguing book of Norwegian tales...

You can click on the image above to be taken to the book options.

Every purchase supports his work!

Simon is also translating the Norwegian literary fairy tales of Regine Normann! Simon writes: "She wrote two volumes of literary fairy tales, and two volumes of legends set in the north of Norway. None of these volumes has ever been translated into English, and so the English-speaking world has no idea of the riches it has been missing, for the last eighty years." Here's a small summary on Regina Normann from the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folklore and Fairy Tales (her name is highlighted):

You can find his Regine Normann project HERE.

It's probably easiest to find Simon on Twitter HERE - something we also recommend. Personable and with that true "folklorist-joy" of discussing all things fairy tale (but particularly those of Norwegian origin), he's a continual delight to tweet with. His comments and insights are most commonly seen being retweeted and discussed on our favorite day in social media each week, #FolkloreThursday.

Askeladden who got the princess
to say he was lying ( Asbjørnsen & Moe)
Artist: Erik Werenskiold (1855-1938)

Sources for Askeladden/Ash Lad:

• https://snl.no/askeladden
• https://snl.no/Askefis
• https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskefisen
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askeladden
• http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=ladd
• http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=tyri

* Askefis is the name of the joint Nordic Askeladden. The name denotes one who blows on the embers (from fisa: blow, breathe) to get the fire to flare up. In some places in the Nordic region Askefis denotes a supernatural being that is located in the firepit, "the firepit spirit"; it is likely that the fairy-tale name of the disdained, but always fortunate son, who lingers by the fireplace, is a transfer from here, but probably affected by one or more foreign names of the fairy-tale "lier-in-the-ashes". The name Askefis (Norwegian most often "Oskefis") first appears in Nordic literature in the 1400s (in proverbs). (From Norwegian Encyclopedia - updated 3/3/18 from our original posting using Google Translate, to a much better translation, with special thanks to Simon Hughes)

** Important job?! Absolutely! This is Norway we're talking about. Pre-modern technology, a family would likely freeze to death much of the year if the fire in their hearth went out! [The hottest month in Oslo, the capital, averages 64°F (18°C) while the median lowest temp in Winter is 27°F (-3°C). Brr!]