Goldilocks and the Three Storybooks: My Storybook Favorites

Okay, so maybe I am not Goldilocks, but it really did feel like I was on a search for a storybook that was just right. Or three. In the end, I was able to pinpoint three storybooks that I thought were not too cold, not too hot, not too hard, and not too soft.

Magical Forest Wallpaper from DesktopNexus

OTHER | The first storybook that caught my attention was OTHER. What caught my attention you ask? Well, first of all, the title was rather vague so I felt I needed to check it out. Maybe if I knew anything about the topic of this storybook beforehand, the title wouldn't have looked vague at all. OTHER is a story about a young Fae who has never fit in in her life. Over the course of the storybook it is revealed that she isn't a Fae at all, but a Changeling and an Other. With that knowledge, the title of the storybook finally made sense and actually wasn't vague at all. It really is a genius ploy to pull a reader in. Curiosity got me and curiosity kept me. Overall, it was a cute little story and was the first one I read all the way through. I have a particular interest in the more fantastical side of mythology and folklore, so this was really suited to my taste. Fairies, gnomes, hobbits, giants, goblins --I like them all.

Women in Constellations | The next storybook that caught my eye was Women in Constellations. Primarily, I was drawn to the fact that it was centered around women. Often in mythology, especially in Greek mythology as this storybook was centered, men take the spotlight. Sure there are some awesome Goddesses, but the Big Three are all men. For that reason, I appreciate the fact that the author of this storybook thought it was necessary to highlight some various women in Greek mythology, specifically the Greek stories surrounding the stars. I also liked that the storybook was laid out as an anthology. Each part of the storybook was distinct, yet still pertaining to the topic of women in constellations --a compilation rather than a cohesive story. This sort of setup helped keep me interested, without any one part dragging on for too long.

Tragically Ever After | The last storybook I chose was Tragically Ever After. This storybook explores what happened after the end of our favorite fairy tales. For example, after Sleeping Beauty, rather than going on to live a happy life with the prince who awoke her from her slumber, the fairy who cursed her to begin with cursed her whole family to die one by one. I like that this storybook took popular stories and added a cruel twist to the end. The fact that I was already familiar with the stories also made it easier to follow why the author of the storybook wrote the twisted endings in those ways. It was like reading the Grimm Brothers fairy tales, but grimmer (more grim?).