Storybook Favorites

Image by Clem Onojeghuo

As a writer, I think looking to the stories of the past is a great source in which to form new stories. I once heard one writer say "nothing is ever truly original." I have to agree with that assessment. Every story we've been familiar with can be traced back to another. However, there is a reason these stories are told over and over again. We love them. We love the rags to riches story or the hero's journey.

I love the idea of being able to retell stories from the past and after viewing several of these storybooks I chose these three stories.

The Stolen Child's Perspective

In this storybook, the plot point of a stolen child is nothing new and has been used in various different stories and myths across the world. Personally, I have seen it used in many European tales and folklore. I think the storybook title is direct and tells me exactly what I will be reading. For the most part, I would have to say the introduction does a great job of laying out what I am to expect from the topic as well as explaining where the author took their ideas. There's not much creative style to the introduction, but I don't mind. The layout and images used throughout the storybook captured my attention and added to the reading experience. I really like the idea of having a gif or video playing over text. However, there were times where it overwhelmed my eyes and distracted me from the text, which I want to try to avoid. 

The Mermaid Diaries

The topic in this storybook is familiar to me. When reading the first diary entry, I realized I have read the original story before. The mermaids with seal skins I believe are called Selkies. The introduction was a great and unique way to set up what is to come. Personally, I don't like this because it remembers the narrator type character found in books from the older books like Frankenstein, but I can't fault the writer. The overall layout of the pages was nice. I like that the author's notes directly followed each story.

Faery Legend

I am familiar with the topic within this storybook. I am actually a huge fan of the faery folklore and always look forward to hearing a new tale. The title gives a generic idea of what I am to expect. By giving little summaries of the stories, the introduction does a better of letting me know what is to come. I like receiving the mini summaries as it allows me to have a choice in which story I want to invest time in. Overall, the layout of the was average, but I like the images used.