Take a collection of classic fairy tales and turn them on their head with a modern, witty twist. Here, boys are free to cry and marry princes, while girls can refuse to kiss frogs and are valued for their intelligence. Blending humour with themes of ecology and politics — featuring characters like Trumple and the Fake News Network — the stories also tackle exclusion based on skin colour, as with the unfortunate gingerbread man, or appearance, like Rapunzel and her impossibly long hair. Along the way, they sneak in playful lessons about language, from definitions and homonyms to heterographs and metaphors, all packed with clever jokes. A genuinely delightful and very funny read.
“In a faraway land called the United States of Kraziness (or USK for short) there once lived an angry little man with a fuzzy orange hairpiece and a funny orange face. Although nobody knew his real name, he was nicknamed Trumple. Everyone thought that Trumple had been given his nickname because ever since he was a tiny baby he couldn’t stop ‘trumping’ or breaking wind. He pretty much farted ALL THE TIME. The problem had only worsened as he grew older because of his terrible diet of junk food and fizzy drinks. All the colouring and additives had turned both him and his weird wig bright orange – so much so that he was almost fluorescent.”
