Book Review: The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories by Kel McDonald et al.

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin with art and writing by various artists

Yet another set of regional tales is given graphical treatment (see here for Asian stories and here for African stories and here for Oceana stories). These tales are from Europe, so many of them are familiar, like Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and the Pied Piper. This edition has fewer, longer stories. The art varies from story to story and all styles work well. The stories I was unfamiliar with were my favorites, probably just for the surprise endings. Fairy tales not told by Disney often have unpredictable endings, i.e. not always happy endings. Also, I guess I knew Puss in Boots was a character from fables but clearly didn't know anything about how much of a trickster he is. This book is another big delight. I am looking forward to the American fables and fairytales.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories by K. McDonald et al.

The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book written and drawn by Kel McDonald and many others

Another set of regional tales is given graphical treatment (see here for Asian stories and here for African stories). This volume represent Oceana, though it's mostly Hawaii and the Philippines representing. As folk tales and legends, a lot of the same ground is covered as in other areas of the world--why certain animals behave the way they do, how people deal with the dead (who often still interact with the living), the uneasy relationship between humans and animals (often transforming into each other), the rewards for persevering in good actions, and the punishments for embracing vices like greed or power-mongering. 

The art and storytelling varies widely, with some simple stories featuring little dialog and simple drawings. Other stories are more complicated or more elaborate. The variety is refreshing and keeps things interesting. I liked the shark tales the most since I find sharks fascinating (and they don't appear in other mythologies). Volcano deities are cool too.

One of the story's text is written in Baybayin, an old Tagalog script. At the end of the story, a two-page primer teaches how to pronounce the script. That would be cool, except the words are Filipino, so readers still need to know Filipino to comprehend the text. Even without the words, I understood a turtle gets its shell and a lizard gets its comeuppance. 

Recommended.