To continue our monthly series of book lists for youth, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following books.
Button Soup by Doris Orgel. In this Level 2 Reader version of "Stone Soup", the base of a delicious pot of soup are just water and an old wooden button. Grades K-3. Large Print book LP 15043.
A Frog Prince by Alix Berenzy. Rebuffed by the princess after retrieving her golden ball, a noble frog sets out to find a princess who appreciates him. Grades K-3. Cassette book RC 31396.
Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley. In this version set in modern times, Goldie can't find any friends who are just right until she meets some neighbor bears one day when she needs to phone her mother. Font suitable for Large Print readers. Grades K-3 or read aloud. Print/Braille book BR 16001.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold by Jim Aylesworth. This version is careful to point out that each step that Goldilocks takes is something her mother definitely told her not to do! Grades 2-4 or read-aloud. Print/Braille book BR 15042. Cassette book RC 57685.
The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka. "Happily ever after" is not what the enchanted frog experiences after the Princess kisses him, so he looks for a witch to remedy the situation. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 34881.
Melisande by E. Nesbit. A christening curse has left Princess Melisande bald, but when her wish for fast-growing golden hair is granted, she has a whole new set of problems. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 33790.
Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter by Diana Stanley. Rumpelstiltskin's teenage daughter is now the one asked to spin straw into gold. She outwits the king to everyone's benefit including her own. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 46137.
Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen. When beautiful Princess Miserella, Plain Jane, and a fairy fall under a sleeping spell, a prince removes the spell in a surprising way. Grades 2-4. Braille book BRW 836. Cassette book CBA 7093.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka. Fractured versions of "The Gingerbread Man", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Frog Prince", and Cinderella/Rumplestiltskin combo. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 38039.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Alexander T. Wolf gives his questionable version of what really happened between him and the Pig brothers. Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 31436.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. In this story that has elements of "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty", Ella is determined to rid herself of a christening gift that forces her to obey any order she's given. Grades 3-6. Braille book BR 15992. Cassette book RC 46186.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe. Two daughters are sent to the King who wants to choose a wife. Both are beautiful, but only one is kind. Unbeknownst to both, their worthiness is tested on their journey. Grades 3-6 or read-aloud. Braille book BRW 357. Cassette book RC 26453. Large Print book LP 9133.
The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye. At Princess Amy's christening, she receives the gift of ordinariness, so she looks for an ordinary job and a better husband than those dull princes her sisters married. Grades 3-6. Large Print book LP 10759.
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. Pointing out the inconsistencies in the original story, the author offers six hilarious alternative versions. Grades 3 and up. Large Print book LP 22617.
The Website of the Cracked Cookies by Eric A. Kimmel. Jess and her friend Matt are sucked into a cyberworld filled with fairy tale characters controlled by an evil Granny Goose. Grades 3-6. Large Print book LP 22627.
I Was a Rat by Philip Pullman. An oddly-behaved young boy is taken in by an old couple who live in a kingdom where the Prince is about to take a new bride. Grades 4-7. Braille BRW book 1078. Cassette book RC 49859.
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In this continuation of the Cinderella story, 15-year-old Ella finds living in the palace to be a suffocating tangle of strict rules and royal etiquette, so she plots her escape. Grades 5-8. Cassette book RC 50346. Large Print book LP 16966.
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. An extended version of "Sleeping Beauty" in which the not-so-lovely princess is raised by a good fairy who can talk to animals, and is ultimately responsible for saving herself from the evil fairy's curse. Grades 6 through adult. Braille book BR 15579. Cassette book RC 51708.
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli. After selling her soul to obtain a child, the woman's jealousy when her daughter begins attracting mates drives her to lock the girl in a tower. Grades 8 and up. Cassette book RC 45229.
East by Edith Pattou. An extended version of the Norwegian version of Beauty and the Beast, in which the enchanted prince is a polar bear, and the young woman pursues him to the ends of the earth after her curiosity dooms him to marry the Troll Queen. High School and Adult readers. Cassette book RC 61655.