GRUMBLES FROM THE FOREST

You know it's going to be a good book of poems when it's authored by the likes of Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich -- and GRUMBLES IN THE FOREST: FairyTale Voices with a Twist most certainly is good! Illustrations are by Matt Mahurin.

The poets take a new look at 15 fairy tales, providing unexpected perspective (like the pea from The Princess and the Pea!) and fresh thoughts (such as the policeman who encounters the crime in Goldilocks and the Three Bears). My most favorite spread was for Beauty and the Beast, with a poem from each Jane and Rebecca:

BEAUTY'S DREAM
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

I'm dizzy with dance,
pink petals in my hair,
waltzing and weaving--
the floor becomes air.

I'm dreaming of love
(dreaming is fine)...
of a rose, a wedding,
a valentine.

But it's only a dream
of the boy I adore--
I can't get past
his fangs, his roar.

If I could
If I could,
might I love him more?



BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: AN ANNIVERSARY
by Jane Yolen

It is winter now,
and the roses are blooming again,
their petals bright against the snow.
My father died last April:
my sisters no longer write
except at the turnings of the year,
content with their fine houses
and their grandchildren.
Beast and I
putter in the gardens
and walk slowly on the forest paths.
He is graying
around the muzzle
and I have silver combs
to match my hair.
I have no regrets.
None.
Though sometimes I do wonder
what sounds children
might have made
running across the marble halls,
swinging from the birches
over the roses
in the snow.

Will the world ever time of fairy tales? I think not. Be sure to visit Diane at Random Noodling for Roundup! Also, today's edition of 2013 Progressive Poem is brought to you by Linda Kulp. We're nearly halfway done!

On my way home from Fay B. Kaigler. Report to follow soon!