Vasilisa the Wise is one of a half dozen or so fairy tale collections Kate Forsyth wrote for children (though I didn’t know its audience going into it, and other than the fact that the photo-illustrations feature children in the lead parts, I might not have figured that out). They are traditionally but lovingly told, with a few adjustments for the modern era, which the author discusses. Each story has background information, on why the author or illustrator picked it for the book, how they created the illustrations, and why they may have made some changes to the original text. The collection is a mix of decently-known fairy tales (like Vasilisa the Beautiful, Grimm’s Singing Springing Lark, and Kate Crackernuts, all of which have had their fair share of retellings) and some surprising ones (“The Rainbow Prince” and “The Toy Princess” were both new to me). Each focuses on the smarts and courage of its main character.
Forsyth’s books for adult mix historical fiction with fairy tales, so I was surprised to see these retold so close to the original texts, but they were still enjoyable to read. The illustration style didn’t totally do it for me, though learning about the artist’s process gave me a lot of respect for them. The two women obviously love working together too, and it’s neat that they each pick fairy tales to include. I’m definitely interested in picking up other books in her “Long Lost Fairy Tales” series.
