WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 73Review_CHILDREN’S
The Ghoul
Taghreed Najjar, trans. from the Arabic by Michel Moushabeck, illus.
by Hassan Manasra. Crocodile, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62371-925-8
The people of Hasan’s village on the Mountain of Mountains
tiptoe, whisper, and shush the children: “Do not laugh. Smile
only so that you do not disturb the ghoul.” But Hasan is
skeptical; though stories of the ghoul abound, no one has
ever seen it, and it has only allegedly eaten any village chil-
dren, so he sets off to discover if it is real. It is, though there’s
a surprise: the ghoul is terrified of humans, who are purported
to eat ghouls. After Hasan and the ghoul get to know each
other (turns out the ghoul is a vegetarian), their friendship
becomes a reminder to the villagers “to celebrate their differ-
ences and never let fear rule them again.” Manasra’s colorful
illustrations combine sharp angles and soft brushy sweeps
to humorously conjure admonishing residents of a bustling
village, a dauntless child, and a one-eyed purple beastie with
long yellow claws. Ages 3–8. (Feb.)The Fabled Life of Aesop
Ian Lendler, illus. by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
$18.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-328-58552-3
Aesop’s life as an enslaved person is centered in this
framing of his classic fables. The book’s first section gently
glosses Aesop’s biography (“Growing up, Aesop learned to
speak differently from people who were free. Slaves had to
be careful”) and describes his fables as tools to convey
meaning: “He had to find a way to tell the truth without
angering his master. So he spoke in code.” The second section
presents a collection of classic fables themselves, told in
clear, concise language—“Once a hare was making fun of a
tortoise for being so slow”—with an italicized moral at the
end: “Slow but steady wins the race.” Zagarenski’s fantastical
illustrations, rendered in blues and golden tones, are full of
charming incongruities finely detailed, like a cheetah in
knickerbockers and vultures perched next to a patterned
coffee pot, holding spoons and forks in their beaks. Ages
4–7. (Mar.)★ The Three Billy Goats Buenos
Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Putnam, $16.99
(32p) ISBN 978-0-399-54739-3
Zany charm imbues Elya’s deft retelling of “The Three
Billy Goats Gruff.” Rhymes silly and clever weave in
Spanish vocabulary words, sneakily cuing correct pronun-
ciation: “There once were three goats, a brotherly trio/ They
needed to crisscross a fast-moving río.// But under the
bridge lived a grumpy gigante/ with tootsies as big as a
small elefante.” The cabritos, of course, make it by the troll,
but Middleton Elya tweaks the plot. As the third goat, Tres,faces the troll, he notices something:
“Stuck to her foot was a long, sharp
espina./ ¡Ay! That must hurt you a
lot, mi vecina!” The goats band
together to soothe her, and the
delightful story ends in an unexpected
friendship. Ordóñez’s bug-eyed goats
and triangle-toothed troll frolic in a sunny landscape of
blocky shapes in vibrant hues. A glossary provides English
definitions of Spanish-language words. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)The Phoenix of Persia
Sally Pomme Clayton, illus. by Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif.
Tiny Owl, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-910328-43-9
In ancient Persia, a longed-for prince is abandoned
because his hair is white. Rescued and raised by the
Simorgh, the phoenix that created the world, he grows in
knowledge and wisdom until the king repents and seeks his
son. The Simorgh says to the king, whose own hair has
turned white, “White hair brings wisdom”; to the prince:
“Being human is being able to forgive.” Clayton adroitly
relates this tale from a traditional Iranian epic, setting it in
a framework of children listening to a storyteller. Shades of
cerulean, rust, and emerald recur in Sharif’s jewel-hued
illustrations; fine lines scratch and shape the details of
feathers and kings. A QR code takes readers to SoundCloud
for a narrated version of the tale accompanied by a variety of
traditional Iranian instruments, each one associated with a
particular character or place, helpfully explained at the
book’s close. These digital assets elevate an enriching read.
Ages 5–7. (Mar.)The Little Mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen, trans. from the Danish by Misha Hoekstra,
illus. by Helen Crawford-White. Pushkin, $9.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-
78269-249-2
This slim volume holds both Andersen’s much-read tale
of a mermaid who sacrifices her voice for a chance to win the
human prince she loves and the story of a “true-hearted” tin
soldier with one leg who falls in love with a paper ballerina.
Both focus on doomed, unreciprocated love, their characters’
sacrifice and loyalty resonating with spiritual meaning.
Hoekstra’s adept translation captures the author’s signature
baroque detail: “The fruit shone like gold and the flowers
looked like burning flames, their stems and leaves forever
flickering.” Andersen’s vivid imagined world and curlicued
spiritual plots overshadow Crawford-White’s occasional
black-and-white illustrations; their style recalls the
detailed images popular in adult coloring books. Ages
7–10. (Mar.)Of Ghouls and Goats
Classic tales from around the world are retold for young readers.