Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep, Dark Woods

Phillips (illustrator of the Heroes in Training series) offers a collection of fresh graphic adaptations of eight lesser-known European tales, as well as a Japanese tale and one featuring animals of the North American Arctic. With some selections, such as “Thor and the Frost Giants,” Phillips instills a comical tone with somewhat slapstick art. In other tales, such as “Momotaro,” a tale about a boy born from a peach, Phillips introduces manga elements to evoke the story’s Japanese origin. Elsewhere, Phillips’s rhythmic narrative tone has hints of Neil Gaiman, particularly in “The King of the Polar Bears.” Each of the stories relies on specific color schemes, which embody the tale’s themes, such as the abundant greens of “The Nixie in the Well,” or the various yellows of “The Boy Who Was Never Afraid.” Source notes for the tales would have been a welcome addition to this strong anthology. Ages 8–12. [em](June) [/em]