The Girl Who Married a Skull: And Other African Stories (Cautionary Fables and Fairytales)

The Girl Who Married a Skull: And Other African Stories (Cautionary Fables and Fairytales)

"Dynamic and thought-provoking." -- KIRKUS

Have you heard the one about the skull who borrowed body parts to pass himself off as a human so he could trick the village beauty into marriage? No? Well, what about when the daughters of Frog and Snake had a playdate? Okay, fine. But surely you've heard the story of the crocodiles who voted on whether or not to eat a man that had saved one of their lives? NO? Wow, have we got some stories for you!

In this vibrant comics treasury, some of storytelling's finest talents reimagine classic African folktales with a modern twist. Funny, warm, and wildly inventive, these timeless tales are brand new all over again. Featuring the work of JARRETT WILLIAMS, CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, CHRIS SCHWEIZER, FAITH ERIN HICKS, and many more!

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Kirkus

Dynamic and thought-provoking, this foray into the world of African fables and fairy tales is sure to entertain young readers who welcome both strong messages and open-ended myths.

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up--Originally published in 2014 through a successful Kickstarter campaign, this graphic novel features 15 African tales adapted by different indie comic artists, including best-selling author Faith Erin Hicks. The stories and the black-and-white art range in style and tone. The entries preserve the intent of the source material but offer intriguing new takes. In the titular entry, a beautiful yet vain young woman attracts the attention of a skull who wishes to marry her. The skull happily bounces across the grass, with hearts in his eyes, then calls The Boys on his cell phone for help in hatching his scheme, though they ask how he is even using a phone. In a tale about how Anansi the spider spends his days creating webs after he is punished for trying to steal wisdom from the elders, Anansi and the other animals are drawn with thick line art and minimal background. Bonus pages include select concept sketches. VERDICT A notation about each piece's country of origin would have been helpful, but this is otherwise a solid addition to most YA graphic novel collections.--Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Fifteen African folktales are each adapted by a different author or illustrator, with story and style varying from sardonically irreverent to eerily sinister." — THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781945820243
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Iron Circus Comics
Publication date
December 25, 2018
Series
Cautionary Fables and Fairytales
BISAC categories
JUV012020 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Country & Ethnic - General
JUV008070 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Fairy Tales, Folklore, Legends & Mythology
JUV012050 - Juvenile Fiction | Legends, Myths, Fables | African
Library of Congress categories
Fables
Folklore
Fairy tales
Africa
Graphic novels
Africans
Fables, African

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