New creeps and ye olde faeries populate the best kid lit
Last year, Tundra published the “Disgusting Critters” series, a quartet of comic and picture book hybrids, each one dedicated to exploring the life and habits of different vermin. Worms and slugs were turned into adorable little cartoon characters by author/illustrator Elise Gravel, accompanied by factoids to give a new dimension to these creepy crawlies. They were wildly popular, too: I was working at a children’s bookstore in Toronto when the books were published, and we could barely keep them in stock.
Gravel hit the sweet spot between science, grossness and silly humour that appealed to teachers, parents and young children alike. This month, two more books join the series: there’s The Spider (special talent: knitting) and Headlice (“They call me Count Dracalouse”), both made into cute, charming tour guides in these baby biology courses.
Young adult fantasy novelist Holly Black also ventures into the natural world with her sure-to-be-hit, The Darkest Part of the Forest (Little, Brown, 336 pp; $20). Black’s strength lies in combining magical elements with real world settings in a style that never feels juvenile. Hazel and Ben, the teen protagonists in her latest work, are alternative in the trendiest ways possible: they drink coffee out of mason jars, spend their free time in thrift stores, and listen to punk rock. They also live in kinda-harmony with the mischievous faeries (spelled ye Olde School way) who inhabit the forest on the edge of their small town. The faeries have been known to cause trouble, but the humans stay out of their way. That is, until a faerie prince goes missing, and Hazel becomes inadvertently involved in a war between the worlds.
Black’s book is a fairy tale for almost-grown-ups, weaving mythology and magic with high school drama. The whimsy may be a little much for some, but the appeal is palpable. Her fantasy worlds are grounded in realism, and the mediocrities of adolescence — homework, one-way crushes, and feeling misunderstood — are given a special kind of shimmer. It’s our world, only better.