Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist

by Jane Yolen, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Matt Mahurin (Illustrator)

Have you ever wondered what all of those fairy-tale characters were thinking? In this magical forest, everyone has something to say. The princess claims it wasn't the "silly pea" that kept her awake--it was that crazy pile of mattresses--while the pea complains that the princess snores. Snow White pleads with the witch and then boldly stands up to the witch's mirror. Goldilocks writes a letter of apology, and Officer Bruin makes promises as her surveys the crime scene in the bears' home.

This book contains a bewitching brew of voices--bragging, warning, wondering...

Prepare to be surprised.
Prepare to be dazzled.
Prepare for magic.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Childrens, Fractured Fairy Tales, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing inspiration from 15 familiar fairy tales familiar to the Western world, these two talented poets offer their different takes on each tale. Sometimes in the 30 poems shared here, they introduce new characters, and sometimes they simply create lines that provide a varied perspective on the story, for instance, that of the pea smashed under those mattresses and the long-suffering princess in "The Princess and the Pea." I particularly enjoyed "Three Bears, Five Voices" and "Goldilocks Leaves a Letter Stuck in the Door," two poems inspired, of course, by "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." The illustrations contain dark colors and scenes of violence that fit the dark, pensive nature of many of these rhymes. Teachers will want to pair this one with Mirror Mirror, and consider using it as fodder for writing inspiration for their own students.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choosing fifteen popular folk tales from Western culture, Yolen and Dotlich team up to present poems from different perspectives, two for each tale. As they write in the introduction, “At times you will hear varied speakers in the two poems--Cinderella speaks of her shoes, while her stepsisters complain about their lot. Sometimes, as with Snow White, the main character talks in both poems but has very different things to say.” (p. 5) Often, they provide insight to characters who don’t often have a voice. The pea laments being squashed by the sleeping princess: “Stuck under the mattress/ As sleeping time nears,/ I miss my dear pod,/ My peeps and my peers.” (p. 22) The poems vary in format and depth, some sporting humor while others veering toward darker ruminations. Mahurin's surreal illustrations add to the magical, dark quality of these poems, exaggerating perspectives and creating a dreamlike, occasionally nightmarish tone. Brief notes indicate the sources and variations for each folk tale. While some poems are more effective than others, this collection successfully invites readers to consider creating their own fairy-tale poems, rewriting classic stories with a magical twist of their own.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jane Yolen is great, but I was not impressed by most of these poems. I don’t know what twists there were (see the title), since most of the poems seemed in line with the original story. My favorite poems were the opening and closing ones - not related to the 30 poems about 15 fairy tales in this book.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as I enjoyed their more recent book Grumbles From the Town. Again, Jane and Rebecca have each written a poem about fifteen different fairy tales, often from unusual points of view, such as an object or a peripheral character, and using different poetic forms, such as haiku and cinquain. My favorites were the poems written for "Beauty and the Beast." I loved the illustrations by Matt Mahurin, especially the one for "Beauty and the Beast," which so perfectly matched the mood of the poems. I was also really drawn to the goat in the illustration for "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." Don't know why--there was just something about it. At the end of the book the authors include a one- or two-line summary of each fairy tale's plot and a few sentences about the tale's origins. Young readers will love this, and it may prompt them to read a tale or two that they may never have read before. Recommended.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We got some giggles and entertainment from these fairytales with a twist.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

These poems based on fairy tales, some from the view of the minor characters, were okay but I kept wondering how many children were familiar enough with the original story to realize what the poets were aiming for. There are two pages in the back that give a very short synopsis of each tale represented but I don't feel those were fleshed out enough.

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very thin book of short childrens poems based on fairytales. I was only impressed by two (one about beauty lamenting not having children and one about the little mermaid), the rest didn’t really impress me.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different points of view are used in these poems that reimagine classic fairytales. Good and bad characters are painted in new lights which sometimes puts a completely different spin on a tale.

My favorites were Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Three Bears. These poems were so fresh they challenged me to look at these tales in a new way which I found very refreshing.

The artwork brings a lot to the reading of these poems. Each two page spread uses a different color palette which helps set the tone of the poetry.

Following the poetry is a series of brief paragraphs that give a synopsis of each fairytale and some history about its variations.

There are so many variations on tales in the fairytale section, but this is a book that truly stands out. It's one that I would save until a child has become very familiar with several variations of tales so they can appreciate the element of reimagination here. Recommended for grades 1-3.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich collaborated to write two poems based on classic fairy tales. Two characters from each story present their own spin in a variety of poetry forms.

Recommended for elementary school students, this is the perfect short text to use when teaching about perspective. This collection reminds me of Marilyn Singer's Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. The poetry in this text is easier to understand, though the illustrations and concepts are likely to be less captivating for students.

[Blakelee Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry Published: 2013

This book contains a collection of poems written about classic fairy tales, but told from unique perspective. For example there is a poem about the gingerbread an told from the perspective of the baker and a poem about Cinderella told by one of the step sisters. This book contains clever and funny poems told from unusual perspectives. This book would be good to integrate into a fairy tale unit, poetry unit, or for discussing about perspective and how there is usually more than one side to a story.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fell asleep while reading it the first time...please forgive me for saying this but I am just not a poetry fanatic. Maybe someone with a better understanding of poetry and a passion for it would enjoy this book more. I just couldn't get into it and I didn't think the prose was all that well-written or interesting. Blah book for me.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich take traditional fairy tales and turn them around. These dual poems for each tale highlight someone else's story or some other aspect of the tale. They are witty and funny and inventive. I really enjoyed the illustrations by Matt Mahurin as well. A nice addition to the fractured fairy tale world.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cute. Fans of fairy tales will love hearing from voices that don't get a lot of attention in classic tales. My favorite was the haiku from the Gingerbread Boy:

The world is one mouth.
So many teeth bite my heels
I run on my toes.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some worked better than others for me. I like the short "About the Tales" page at the end.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This beautifully illustrated book combines two loves: Fairy Tales and Poetry.

LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of paired poems speculating on what fairy tale characters were really thinking.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grumbles From The Forest: Fairy Tale Voices With a Twist is a collection of poetry. The Dear Readers letter at the beginning of the book clearly spells out the authors' intentions: using some of the most well-known Western fairy tales they are going to re-imagine each one through a poet's eyes, juggling different--sometimes unexpected--perspectives.

The structure of the book is that each double page spread is devoted to a different fairy tale. The facing pages each contain a different poem created about the identified fairy tale from different, specific perspectives. The poems are accompanied by an artist's rendering of whichever fairytale is the focus on that page. On the final pages of the book the authors have also included short, succinct summaries of each fairy tale's plot (in case there are some with which the reader is not familiar).

The poems range from average to brilliant and Mahern's illustrations are reminiscent of the beautiful renderings in my (and my children's) favorite picture book edition of Rumpelstiltskinby Paul O. Zelinsky: soft, rich jewel tones.

Exerpts from some of my favorites among the poems are "About Grandma Wolf":

Was I fooled?
Not a bit.
Grandma's nightgown
didn't fit.

and "Who Told The Lie?":
The Miller and His Daughter:

"My daughter can spin
Flax into gold."
"I can spin flax--
I do as I'm told."
Who told the lie?
"Not I!"
"Not I!"...

The poem goes on to address the King, the New Queen and Rumpelstiltskin's behavior and motives with spectacular incisiveness and rhythm. (I don't want to spoil the whole thing by giving it to you here in its entirety!)

Grumbles From The Forest has so many possibilities as a read-aloud leading into interactive exercises in character and perspective (written, oral and physical--or any combination thereof). I have already added it to my theatre resource list for rehearsals and workshops! I really enjoyed this! Playing with language and stories--particularly fairy tales--is one of my favorite things! Similar in premise to books like The True Story of The Three Pigs by Jon Scieszka, this is a great independent or read-aloud selection for anyone who enjoys fractured fairy tales or is looking for a springboard into units about poetry, fairytales or the importance of perspective on the tone of a story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would have been fun to write! It reminded a lot of the poem book "Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse" by Marilyn Singer. Not because the poems were reversible like Singer's, but because the poems were based on fairy tales and written from different characters' perspectives.

There were definitely some poems that were stronger than others-- my favorites were the ones from the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, The Gingerbread Man, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Frog Prince, and Rumplestiltskin. Which is actually a good chunk of the book, so I really did enjoy it!

There are 32 poems in the book, if you are wondering... 15 fairy tales (2 poems for each) and then one generic poem at the beginning and one at the end. So it's not too long, but you'll probably want to divide it into chunks if you're reading it for a child's bedtime.

All in all, it was terrific fun.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of poetry retellings of 15 different fairytales. Each fairytale has two poems, generally from different perspectives. They are depicted with colorful full-page illustrations. Some poems are as short as a haiku, others are a bit longer. This is a short read. It could lead to imagination questions or thinking questions. (How would you feel? What do you think so-and-so said/did? What do you think such-and-such character would say about that?) I love fairytales and I love Ms. Yolen's work. I was less enamored of this collection than some others I have read, but I plan to keep it in my collection.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book of poems, Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich put a fresh spin on old, beloved fairytales. Each poem takes two perspectives on one fairytale, offering up an alternative side of the story. For Cinderella, one of the poems focuses on Cinderella complaining about how she could have danced all night in any other shoes but glass slippers. The other poem shows her stepsisters bragging about how they taught Cinderella everything she knows. Both writers cleverly reconstruct or subvert old fairytales in short and simple verse. The illustrations are also beautiful. This book would be great in a classroom paired with the more traditional or conventional versions of these fairytales. It is intended for grades 1-3, but older children could also enjoy it.

[Kaylie Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional Literature
This was a poetry book about traditional fairy tales, just with a little twist. I loved the different perspectives Yolen took when writing each of these poems. It caused me to think about the stories I know so well in ways that I’d never thought about before. I would love to use this in a class to teach students about perspective and voice. I would read the book, discuss it, and then have the student write their own versions of fairy tales from unusual or unexpected perspectives. This would also create an opportunity to teach students about how to create a strong voice in their writing.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised. The cover art is so dark and scary that I dismissed it for my young readers for many months. However, now that I've read it, I find that the poetry is fun and accessible, written from different perspectives. For example, the gingerbread boy tells his story in a haiku and the bakers tell theirs, wondering if things would have been different if they made him a sugar cookie or a peanut butter ball instead.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I didn't fall in love with the poems, I did appreciate the thinking and writing process the author suggests here, to think about the well loved characters and what they might be thinking and feeling. In this manner, the book is a useful tool to expand the possibilities of creative thinking and writing. The illustrations are great.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yolen takes a different take on Fairytales, in this book of poems told from other characters' perspectives, from Cinderella's Stepsisters, the Frog Prince, Red Riding Hood and more;
One of my favorites was Snow White's plea with the magic mirror...OOOH....its good.

Beautiful and unique illustrations as well as simple but very elegant poetry by Yolen!

[Nicola · Rating 1 out of 5]

Miss 6 didn't really enjoy the book. She likes poetry but none of these particularly appealed to her.

Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Alicia Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It out a funny twist on classic fairy tales. This would be a great way to teach about different perspectives in a classroom. This book would also be a great to align with a poetry lesson as well as a unit on fairy tales.

[Michelle Vanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This traditional picture book provides a twist on classic fairy tale characters. In the magical forest the book takes place in, all the characters have something to say in a new twist we never heard of before.

[Amanda Vander hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has wonderful illustrations and is a great twist on these fairy-tales. It is also in poetic verse, which allows young readers to establish a common story in a different reading format. This helps to show readers that poetry is fun and can be about familiar topics and does not have to be as boring as they might think it is. The stories all also have a twist, rather than being the way that the fairy tales are usually told, which is fun for young students who are familiar with them.


Yolen, J. Ill. Mahurin, M. (2013, March 1). Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist. Honesdale, PA: WordSong.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute picture book. I have loved Jane Yolen as an author and have read many of her books. This book did not disappoint. This is a book of poems, two poems from each fairy tale, each from a different perspective. It was so clever and fun to read.

[Katya Lazukina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fairy tales! This twist on the tales is absolutely fun!
Lets the readers understand what the villains of the story were feeling in a poetic form.