Revolting Rhymes
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Cover Story
On our cover this month we feature an illustration from The Swineherd, a picture book version of the Andersen fairy tale by artist Lisbeth Zwerger. (Neugebauer Press, 0 907234 127, £3.95 from A. and C. Black). We are grateful to A. and C. Black for help in using this illustration. The roundel used on the Hans Andersen pages is from the wood engraving by Gwen Raverat for Four Tales, translated by R. P. Keigwin, C.U.P. (1935). It and the Punch cartoon on page 16 appear in Brian Alderson's pamphlet Hans Christian Andersen and his Eventyr in England.
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Revolting Rhymes
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Dahl's linguistic wizardry is here exploited to the full in these richly ironic and irreverent pastiches of six well-known fairy stories. Dahl is letting his listeners (they need to be read aloud) in on the tension and ambiguities (the 'it could have been this way' implicit in all narrative). Middle juniors and upwards who know the originals and can see the fun in exploiting form will want these for their own. As always, Dahl knows how to get readers on his side ('I say again, how would you feel?') and Blake's pictures match the mayhem. Try it in the staffroom.
