  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 07/01/2016 Gr 5 Up—Tan's latest holds a complete art exhibit within its pages of photographs and excerpts from Grimms' folktales and fairy tales. Tan has thoughtfully paired 75 of his original sculptures with paragraphs from the Brothers' familiar and obscure selections. Inspired by Inuit stone carvings and pre-Columbian clay figures, Tan's sculptures exude a fresh, naive style. When combined with the texts, the seemingly simple sculptural forms become as complex as the tales they represent. With a foreword by Neil Gaiman and commentary by folklore scholar Jack Zipes, this volume is a first of its kind contribution to the genre. Since each piece provides only a snippet of the accompanying story, the book follows up with summaries of the fairy tales and suggestions for further reading. Younger audiences may be frustrated by the vague texts chosen to illustrate the sculptures. In fact, the book's entire concept may be too esoteric for anyone preferring elaborate decoration and happily-ever-after endings. However, the images, rendered from air-dry clay, papier-mâché, paint, and found objects from nature, are, by turns, fanciful, gruesome, and thought provoking. The book is expertly minimalist, providing potential opportunities for discussion of story elements, art appreciation, and philosophy for a wide age range. VERDICT A unique addition to special and robust folktale and fairy-tale and/or art collections.—Jane Miller, Nashville Public Library - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 07/01/2016 *Starred Review* Acclaimed author, artist, and illustrator Shaun Tan is no stranger to things wondrous and strange, so it seems only natural that his latest book taps the world of Grimms’ Fairy Tales for inspiration. Seventy-five are included here, ranging from well-known favorites to the downright obscure. Rather than straightforward retellings, Tan has carefully selected one pivotal moment that captures the essence of each story: a young woman agrees to marry a bear-man in repayment for his kindness; a blacksmith captures the devil in a sack; a queen holds the key to a room containing coffins for her 12 sons; and so on. Accompanying each tale is a full-page color photograph of an original mixed-media sculpture. Miniature in size, these, too, are whittled to their most essential elements—most figures are little more than mere suggestion, but others are exaggerated to the point of grotesque. The creep factor of the sculptures, shrouded in shadows and dimly lit, is heightened considerably through a masterful balance of the foreign and familiar, of nefarious action and trademark whimsy. A brief history of the Brothers Grimm by scholar Jack Zipes and an annotated index provide a broader context for the collection. A foreword by Neil Gaiman only heightens appeal. A stunning, eerie addition to fairy tale and folklore collections.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Tan is renowned for his odd, striking illustrations. Expect his fans to line up for this collection of his sculptural work. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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