Nonny Hogrogian «The fearsome inn»

Two witches, who practice their evil trade on lost travellers, are banished through the wisdom of a student of the holy cabala, and the power of his magic chalk.
Impacted writing and resplendent illustration at the service of an authentically harrowing, distinctively satisfying story: it starts with Satan and ends with heavenly light, and you believe it. For many years Doboshova, the witch, and Lapitut, her half-devil husband, have preyed upon the travelers who come to their inn; as servants, they hold captive three girls, Reitze, Leitze and Neitze. On a stormy day, three young men arrive, and one among them, Leibel, a student of the cabala, has a magic gift, a piece of chalk that will imprison anyone in the circle he draws. While the three are washing before dinner, each has a nightmare; before they can take a bite of the food that will deprive them of all will, Leibel recognizes Doboshova and Lapitut as the witch and monster in his dream. By a ruse, he locks them in a circle of chalk, and the threats and ruses of all the evil spirits of the forest are of no avail: Leibel will not free them until they agree in blood to go away forever. This done, the six sort themselves out and marry quite satisfactorily (though all three girls wanted Leibel to start with). Leibel and Neitze remain at the inn, running it as a hostel, and in time it becomes known, through his studies, as the greatest academy of the cabala. The synopsis is and is not the story: always there is ancient magic pitted against ancient mischief, and an occasional turn of the screw. The drawings have to be seen, as does the book, impeccably produced down to paper and type; the story must be read, by adults as well as children, but best together.

Bob Graham «The nine lives of Aristotle»

Dick King-Smith’s mischievous narrative and Bob Graham’s sweet, humorous watercolors capture the first eight lives of a kitten who’s ready to scamper his way into hearts everywhere.

Aristotle the kitten is so adventurous that it’s a good thing cats have nine lives. What’s even better is that Aristotle has found the kind witch Bella Donna to be his owner. Somehow she is always there when he gets into trouble, whether tumbling down the chimney, tipping over a giant milk jug, or tearing away from a snarling watchdog — just as a truck comes areening by. Is it luck? Or maybe a little bit of magic?

Clotilde Perrin «Раскрой сказку»

Если некоторое время назад книги «с окошками», клапанами и другими интерактивными элементами уверенно адресовали самой младшей категории читателей, то сегодня, с появлением «Королевства фей» Мэри Сесиль Баркер, «Маленького театра Ребекки» Ребекки Дотремер и других подобных изданий, иллюстрированные сказки и «сказочные энциклопедии» со сложными бумажными конструкциями внутри стали востребованы среди вполне взрослых, в том числе коллекционеров и искушенных ценителей иллюстрации. Французская художница Клотильда Перрен выпустила две интерактивные энциклопедии сказочных героев, одну из них, посвященную сказочным злодеям, издает на русском языке «Эксмо».

Margot Zemach «Duffy and the Devil»

«Даффи и Дьявол» была популярной пьесой девятнадцатого века, которую в рождественский сезон ставили любительские театры Корнуолла. Харви Земач пересказал народную сказку, лежавшую в основе пьесы; в ней без труда можно узнать известную историю про Румпельштильцкина.

Язык, на котором говорили актеры, исполнявшие рождественскую пьесу, представлял из себя смесь местного английского диалекта и старого корнского наречия (немного похожего на валлийский и гэльский). В своей новой версии Харви удалось сохранить эти диалектические мотивы, а иллюстрации Марго Земач добавили народной истории комедийный оттенок.