posted on 02 Oct 2019

The Tale of Mrs M’Grady by Alison Page

 

 

 

This is Alison Page’s first book and if this is the standard we can expect in the future then we’re in for some treats and quite a lot of surprises. The Tale of Mrs M’Grady takes fairy tale world by the scruff of the neck, puts it in a sack, shakes it all about and tips it back out looking quite different.

Written in verse we get the gloriously macabre story of the wicked Mrs M’Grady who has decided that Red Riding Hood would make a decent-sized meal if she is fattened up and popped into a pot.

“Mrs M’Grady’s latest plot

was to capture Red Riding Hood,

she was sick of the sight of her shiny red coat

And the cakes for her Grandma looked good.”

 

 

 

When Miss Hood is kidnapped and bound hand and foot, her only hope is that Jack (he of beanstalk fame) can gather together a host of other fairy tale characters to muscle in and release her from M’Grady’s wicked clutches.

“The neighbours came running to help out the boy,

who explained M’Grady’s plot.

‘We must save the child, that woman is wild!’

said Snow White, jumping up and down on the spot.”

 

It takes Jack, Cinderella, Snow White, Bo-Peep, The Three Pigs and more to stop her but first they have to come up with a plan for getting into her house. Nettles, pies and guns are suggested but Jack persuades them that kindness might be the way forward. It isn’t and ultimately they have to burst in by force. But maybe, just maybe they’ve bitten off a bit more than they can chew?

Well, I’m not saying anything other than at the end people aren’t always as grateful as you might expect and that someone ends up with an unexpected banquet!

The book, from Tiny Tree Children’s Books, will be ideal for adults to read to their children who love a dark tale and the sort of thrill that comes with seeing favourite characters in an unfamiliar light.

With a glossy full colour cover, the book is produced in a generous format with splendid illustrations throughout, some full page, by the experienced Irish illustrator, Paddy Donnelly.

I laughed a lot – so I can do nothing more than recommend you get your hands on a copy when it is published in the coming days.

 

Terry Potter

October 2019

(Click on any image below to view them in a slide show format)