Richard Ayoade (text) and David Roberts (illustrator), The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C.Cecily, Walker Books, October 2024, 120 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781529500769
I thoroughly enjoyed the tongue in cheek humour of The Fairy Tale Fan Club and found myself often laughing out loud as it wittily makes fun of absurdities in fairy tales.
This book takes the format of letters from present-day kids to fairy tale characters, asking for clarification on baffling circumstances in their story, followed by responses from the story characters. To name a few – There is a letter to Little Red Riding Hood asking how it would be possible to mistake a wolf for her grandmother. Another letter asks Rumpelstiltskin if he regrets having said his name out loud. Other letters are addressed to The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Rapunzel and more.
Author, Ayoade, is a highly regarded British comedian and he employs clever comedic devices to make this book so funny. He plays on word meanings, as in “Little Red Riding Hood … was literally wolfed down”. Anachronisms add to the humour, including Cinderella’s confusion about 21st Century vocabulary in a letter to her – What is an “ipad”, “clips of dogs” and “emojis”? Irony and sarcasm are aplenty too, such as Hansel and Gretel explaining their mother’s neglect as encouragement to be adventurous.
I hoped that Ayoade would rely on his subtle humour and steer away from toilet humour. But, alas, a few farts jokes have been added which will, admittedly, appeal to young readers who love a bit of irreverence.
Black and white line drawings by award winning and prolific children’s illustrator, David Roberts, are interspersed through the text. The quirkiness and silliness of his drawings re-enforce the absurd ideas of the book and I enjoyed noticing funny details.
It would take a fair bit of knowledge of word double meanings and understanding of comedic devices to appreciate the book’s subtle, clever humour. I therefore recommend it for upper primary readers (about 10-12 years old). Being organised into short, separate sections of four to five pages, with well-spaced-out text and images, makes it suitable for reluctant readers or for more confident readers to dip in and out of.
I highly recommend The Fairy Tale Fan Club.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
