Early Book Review: Pink Is for Everybody by Ella Russell

Pink Is for Everybody is a picturebook written by Ella Russell and illustrated by Udayana Lugo. It is currently scheduled for release on April 15 2022. A group of kids is stuck inside on a rainy day, and they’re feeling gloomy, until they discover a pink treasure chest! Inside they find a collection of items that turn their gray day into a playground of pink. Pink is for painters and palace-dwellers, aliens and astronauts, dancers and dragons! In a parade of exuberance that celebrates all things pink, one surly cat stands apart and teaches the kids a gentle lesson about choosing what you love, no matter who you are, while respecting the unique preferences of everybody around you.

Pink Is for Everybody is a cute and charmingly illustrated picturebook about exploring how individuals can where or use pink, if they want to. I like the point that pink is for everyone, except those that do not like pink. As someone that always preferred purple or blue to pink I appreciated that acknowledgement. I loved the inclusivity and the message that it is okay to love whatever it is you love, regardless of who you are and what might be expected of you. I think the book offers a great message to readers of all ages, with charming text and illustrations that will hold up well to repeated reading and sharing. 

Early Book Review: Cinder the Fireplace Boy; And Other Gayly Grimm Tales by Ana Mardoll

Cinder the Fireplace Boy; And Other Gayly Grimm Tales by Ana Mardoll is currently scheduled for release on Jan 4 2022.  This collection of inclusive fairy tale retellings also features eight original illustrations by artist Alex Dingley.

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful prince who kissed a frog, a cinder-smudged child who hid a secret, a princess who climbed a long braid of golden hair for love, a thumb-sized boy with the courage of a giant, and a valiant little tailor whose wit was as sharp as her needle. These stories and many more await you in this collection of classic fairy tales, lovingly retold and featuring characters who receive wonderfully queer happily-ever-afters! Let these new takes on the Brothers Grimm warm your heart and nurture your yearning to see yourself reflected in beloved favorites.

Cinder the Fireplace Boy; And Other Gayly Grimm Tales is a wonderful collection of fairy tale retellings missing the various forms of prejudice that can be seen in the originals. The spirit of each story holds true, with some tweaks that make them more inclusive and engaging for all readers. I like that there were some very well known stories included, like Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel, as well as lesser known stories- some of which I do not remember ever having encountered before. All of them captured my attention and had me fully engaged. The story length of each story helped me break out of a reading slum, that had made it hard for me to become invested in what I had been reading lately.  I dove into this book, and will be revisiting some of the stories again in the near future. I think readers that have always enjoyed reading fairy tales, and enjoy seeing them evolve, will definitely want to pick this up. Readers that have been put off by the prejudices and attitudes found in many of the originals might want to give collection a try to see a new take on the old tales.