LitBit Speaks

A unique and alluring art book showcasing Shaun Tan's extraordinary sculptures based on the timeless and compelling fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. In this beautifully presented volume, the essence of seventy-five fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm is wonderfully evoked by Shaun Tan's extraordinary sculptures. Nameless princes, wicked stepsisters, greedy kings, honourable peasants and ruthless witches, tales of love, betrayal, adventure and magical transformation: all inspiration for this stunning gallery of sculptural works. Introduced by Grimm Tales author Philip Pullman and leading fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes, The Singing Bones breathes new life into some of the world's most beloved fairy tales. For those who love Fairy Tales, this is a fabulous volume. For those who are fans of sculpture and any art by Shaun Tan, this is a book to remember! For newcomers, this is a lovely primer. The foreword by Neil Gaiman is a delightful and informative introduction to the F...

Twelve-year-old Shane Woods is just a regular boy. He loves pitching for his baseball team, working on his graphic novel, and hanging out with his best friend, Josh. But Shane is keeping something private, something that might make a difference to his teammates, to Josh, and to his new crush, Madeline. And when a classmate threatens to reveal his secret, Shane’s whole world comes crashing down. It will take a lot of courage for Shane to ignore the hate and show the world that he’s still the same boy he was before. And in the end, those who stand beside him may surprise everyone, including Shane.* As with any new book with trans themes, I am both excited and anxious. I've seen fantastic treatment of trans subjects and characters and horrifyingly ignorant treatments, and as such, my reviews of these particular titles are always a little bit more detailed and sometimes come off more on the harsh side. With that caveat, here we go... I applaud Hennessey's decision to writ...

Paul is a fish who used to go around in circles. He made big circles and little circles. He circled from left to right and from right to left. He circled from top to bottom and from bottom to top. What else was there to do? Until one day Bernadette drops in and shows Paul that there is a whole world out there, right outside his bowl, with so many things to see. A banana-shaped boat! A blue elephant with a spoutlike trunk (be quiet when she’s feeding her babies)! A lovely lunetta butterfly, with tortoise-shell rims! Simple saturated paintings play off this charming ode to an active imagination — and the way that life changes when a bewitching creature opens your eyes. For the longest time, all Paul saw was his bowl. He saw up and down and side to side, and he went around and around, and there was a whole lovely little world that Paul knew very well. But then one day Bernadette is introduced to Paul's bowl, and he's introduced to a whole new way of seeing the world outsi...