The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer
Published by First Second on June 18th 2019
ISBN: 1596437502
Pages: 112
Goodreads

A collection of four original fairy tales from Lachenmeyer, these stories are steeped in classic tropes: a genie, a nasty witch, dueling wizards, and a cruel ogre. But Lachenmeyer puts his own spin on the stories in a delightful way. The genie is trying to elicit wishes out of a frog who has accidentally rubbed the lamp; the witch’s magic is not strong enough to squash the power of music; a parrot is the key player in the war of the wizards; and that cruel ogre helps a painter see the folly of his ways. Blocker’s illustrations are clearly digitally rendered as they have a cartoonish quality and soft edges, but they work well to illustrate the tales in full-color and with enough distinction and clarity. Lachenmeyer mentions being heavily influenced by fairy tale books from his childhood, so there is clearly a deep affection for the genre, but it would have been nice not to have the only female character not be the inflexible, disagreeable witch; all of the stories feature males (even the frog feels male as the genie offers it gold, a race car, an airplane, and a speedboat). Elementary and middle school readers will enjoy this  graphic novel.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth