The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales

by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, Simini Blocker (Illustrator)

Overview

With a deft, lively text from Nathaniel Lachenmeyer and eye-popping, painterly art by Simini Blocker, The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales is the perfect read for kids who love a good yarn—and good comics!

A genie just wants a chance to grant a wish to the frog who accidentally let him out of his lamp—meanwhile, the frog just wants to be left alone. A witch is tormented by the cheerful (and awful) singing of a persistent bard, but when she finally snaps and turns him into a rock, he just keeps on singing—somehow the power of terrible music overcomes all magic. A wizard wants a pet. An ogre just wants to make beautiful art.

Four original, wry, and utterly charming fairy tales comprise this new collection for young readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250268938
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	224 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Nathaniel Lachenmeyer is an award-winning author of books for children and adults. Nathaniel’s children’s books include Broken Beaks (Monteiro Lobato Award, Brazil; a Washington Post KidsPost Pick of the Week), The Origami Master, (A Junior Library Guild Selection, A Children's Indie Next Pick, A Book Links Lasting Connection) and Octopus Escapes!. The Singing Rock and Other Brand-New Fairy Tales is inspired by Nathaniel’s lifelong love of fairy tales. Nathaniel grew up in Pelham, NY, and now lives in Marietta, GA, with his wife and his two wonderful children. His hobbies include collecting original illustration art and classic movie autographs.

Simini Blocker is an illustrator currently working in Texas. She has recently worked on several middle-grade and YA titles, including Almost Midnight, and the My So-Called Superpowers series. When not illustrating, she loves experimenting with embroidery, traveling as much as possible, and collecting too many stationary supplies. The Singing Rock is her first graphic novel.

Editorial Reviews

"These wry and charming tales of the power of persistence will delight readers with lively text and expressive art. It’s a great addition to elementary and middle school graphic collections." —School Library Journal

"There’s a buoyant vibrancy to Blocker’s digital art, with a bold palette and paneling that compels the story forward with energy and verve, and the draftsmanship and style recall LeUyen Pham’s work." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A cute and welcome addition to the fairy-tale genre that will have young readers laughing with delight at the misadventures of all of the charming characters." —Booklist

"Blocker’s illustrations enhance the absurdist nature of Lachenmeyer’s stories, and her expert control of facial expression and body language add a layer of slapstick, which heightens the collection’s comedic sensibility.... These fairy tales are sure to entertain." —Publishers Weekly

"Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists...Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of "rock" music." —Kirkus

“The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales makes with the magic this summer.... You can’t use adjectives like ‘brand-new’ and not deliver, so it’s a good thing writer, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, and artist, Simini Blocker, do.... Just in time for summer, it’s a quick read but one where the fun doesn’t have to stop with the last page.” —Comiccon

"This book is wonderful! I can easily say I'm ready for more — another book with more stories! Yes, it's a kids' book, but if you like fairy tales, you'll enjoy the humor of these new ones, plus the lovely art!"—Sequential Tart

"Simini Blocker’s witty, observant illustrations, all done in bright jewel tones, help to make this romp for readers ages 5 to 9 a droll delight." —The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

2019-04-28
The theme of persistence (for better or worse) links four tales of magic, trickery, and near disasters.

Lachenmeyer freely borrows familiar folkloric elements, subjecting them to mildly comical twists. In the nearly wordless "Hip Hop Wish," a frog inadvertently rubs a magic lamp and finds itself saddled with an importunate genie eager to shower it with inappropriate goods and riches. In the title tale, an increasingly annoyed music-hating witch transforms a persistent minstrel into a still-warbling cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig, duck, and rock in succession—then is horrified to catch herself humming a tune. Athesius the sorcerer outwits Warthius, a rival trying to steal his spells via a parrot, by casting silly ones in Ig-pay Atin-lay in the third episode, and in the finale, a painter's repeated efforts to create a flattering portrait of an ogre king nearly get him thrown into a dungeon…until he suddenly understands what an ogre's idea of "flattering" might be. The narratives, dialogue, and sound effects leave plenty of elbow room in Blocker's big, brightly colored panels for the expressive animal and human(ish) figures—most of the latter being light skinned except for the golden genie, the blue ogre, and several people of color in the "Sorcerer's New Pet."

Alert readers will find the implicit morals: know your audience, mostly, but also never underestimate the power of "rock" music. (Graphic short stories. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews