Reviews Week 40
October 3rd- 9th
Book 131: Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Sirens
By Bartosz Sztybor, Jakub Rebelka,
Chan Chau, Sarah Webb, and Aud Koch
Read on October 3rd
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This book was definitely my favorite from the series so far. I love how each of these books takes stories and characters from myths, legends, and fairytales, to create a new story. Mermaids/sirens have always been one of my favorite fantasy creatures besides dragons, and I really loved how each of the contributors took their stories. Also, the artwork in this volume was phenomenal. I'm going to do a short review of each of the stories in this volume.
"The Mermaid and the Fisherman" Story by Bartosz Sztybor and Art by Jakub Rebelka- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
An interesting take on the familiar story of a fisherman taking a mermaid from the sea to keep in his home. I enjoyed the message of this one and the overall story.
"Empress Wa" Story and art by Chan Chau- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One of my favorites from the entire volume. I loved this creation story and how Chau decided to do something quite different from what someone would think of as a mermaid or a siren. In this case, the story is about a Chinese goddess named Nuwa. She is a shapeshifter who can change her appearance at will but has the body of a serpent. The art style for this story was stunning, and the story went along perfectly with it.
"One Spared to the Sea" Story and art by Sarah Web- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Northern European tales are some of my favorites, especially with Selkies, Brownies, etc. I enjoyed Sarah Web's take on one of these tales with the character of Willa Westness, a version of Willie Westness's story. The story was stunning to read, along with the beautiful illustrations.
"Lorelei: Daughter of the Rhine" Story by Aud Koch- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Definitely one of my favorite stories from any of Jim Henson's The Storyteller series. This piece was wonderful to look at, and I loved how the artist used minimal colors in the illustrations. It fits the story perfectly, especially with the focus on gold. The story is a take on sirens and how they steal men. I love where the author took this idea.
Book 132: Tales of Whimsy, Verses of Woe
By Tim DeRoche, Daniel González (Illustrator)
Read on October 3rd
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This poetry collection of verses was so much fun to read. I loved almost all of the poems so much. This book reminded me of the works of Shel Silverstein and others similar to that style that I loved reading when I was a child. I recommend this collection to children and anyone interested in having a good time while reading. I know that I would have loved this book as a child. This will definitely be a book that I will be picking up for my book collection. It was so entertaining.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC of the book. All opinions are my own. *
Book 133: Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Ghosts
By Márk László, Jennifer Rostowsky,
Michael Walsh, and Ver
Read on October 3rd
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Another great volume from Jim Henson's The Storyteller series. I love how eerie some of these tales were, especially the first one in the collection. Many of these stories talk about creatures I had never heard of before like "The Myling," which is such a tragic and creepy type of ghost.
"The Myling" Story and Art by Mark Laszlo and Colors by Patricio Delpeche- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This story was so creepy with the idea of the ghosts of babies, called the Mylings. I really loved the illustrations in this tale and how much they fit with the overall story. It was beautiful and eerie throughout the entire piece. My favorite part of this piece, though, that made it one of my two favorites from this entire volume, was the tragic aspects of the story. This piece is creepy at times, but the whole thing was also very sad with the story of the babies. I highly recommend this one.
"Envy & Ash" Story and Art by Jennifer Rostowsky- ⭐⭐⭐
My least favorite of the stories in this volume and most of the stories in the recent volumes. I did not enjoy the art in this one which really took me out of the story. The best image in the story, though, is when Molika becomes an Amp. That was such an interesting scene, and it looked really cool. Overall, this was a pretty good story.
"The Last Lullaby" Story and Art by Michael Walsh- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Banshees are such an interesting element of Irish folklore, and I really enjoyed this version of one of those stories. The design of the banshee and the scene when it is revealed were perfect. I love how the author of this piece led up to those scenes and the atmosphere that he created while doing it. What a powerful story.
"The Promise" Story and Art by VER- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Absolutely, wonderful message and story in this one. I loved the stunning illustrations throughout and the twist at the ending. The spirits called Veles were so creepy, and I loved the depiction of the Slavic god of magic and death in this piece called Nawia.
Book 134: Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Tricksters
By Jonathan Rivera, Jordan Ifueko,
Amal El-Moutan, and Robin Kaplin
Read on October 4th
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Another really great collection of stories. I loved learning more about these tricksters that I have heard about countless times before. Also, learning about a new one in “A Heart That Beats Forever.” I do hope that they continue on with the Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series eventually because I have really enjoyed reading these over the year. They are a lot of fun.
“The Spinner of Stories” Story by Jonathan Rivera and Art by Jade Zhang- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The trickster that this story focuses on is Anansi who is The King of Stories. I have heard a lot about him over the years but have never really read any stories with him in it. Next year, I plan on reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman and I know that he plays a role in that. It’ll be interesting to see what form he takes in that. This story was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed seeing both Anansi and his son Ntikuma and the mischief that they pulled.
“A Heart That Beats Forever” Story by Jordan Ifueko and Art by Erin Kubo- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This story focused on a god that I have never heard anything about before Eshu, God of Change, Cunning, and Chaos. I enjoyed the way this one was told. Instead of it being the storyteller this time around, it was told by a visitor that he had to his house. I won’t spoil what happens in the tale as a whole but I was surprised a bit in the ending which was a lot of fun. Also, the artwork in this story was beautiful the look at.
“A Tale of Two Markets” Story by Amal El-Mohtan and Art by Isa Hanssen- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A Tale of Two Markets” was my favorite out of the collection. First, of all the artwork in this story was wonderful. I love how it fit so well with what was going on in the story and the characters themselves. This was a story that I have read a version of before. That did not change my enjoyment in it though. It follows a fox named Reynard, who tricks other animals into giving him stuff. I loved the ending in this one and how he used Stork in his plans.
“Loki the Matchmaker” Story by Robin Kaplan and Art by A. L. Kaplan - ⭐⭐
The only story from the volume that I didn’t enjoy that much. I know a good amount of the tales from Norse Mythology and this is one of my least favorites of the group that show Loki’s trickster ways.
Book 135: The Raven and other Poems
By Edgar Allan Poe
Read on October 7th
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