This is an amusing, entertaining collection of retold fairy tales, in which the original material has been turned upside-down, inside-out, and in some cases, tossed in a blender for good measure. Thus, in this collection, you’ll find everything from a story in which Rumpelstiltzkin is in cahoots with the miller’s daughter (and everyone really does end up happily ever after) to one where the enchanted frog turns the tables on an ungrateful princess in a fitting fashion. There’s an All Points Bulletin for Goldilocks (for breaking and entering), a Little Red Riding Hood that won’t shut up (and we end up rooting for the wolf), a story that questions the Pied Piper’s true motivations, another look at that pesky Jack of the beanstalk fame, fairy tale endings you’re not likely to see (PG-13, no less), a princess whose sensitivity to peas may not be all that desirable after all, and a truly disturbing Hansel and Gretel. And let’s not even mention the version of Beauty and the Beast where she vastly prefers the Beast over the handsome prince.

There’s not much to say about this assortment of stories, poems, and quick double-takes; it’s clever, often unexpected, and slyly witty, but Van Velde doesn’t devote much time to any one story. These are like drive-bys against the old solemnity and seriousness of the traditional material, making their point and moving on. As such, they’re fast-paced, and a breath of fresh air, and the collection as a whole makes for a nice diversion. I always enjoy Vivian Van Velde’s work for its originality. Fairy tale lovers might get a kick out of this, and the stories might be fun to read to younger audiences, who will undoubtedly appreciate the humor in some of them.