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CollectionAges 4–7Picture Books

Rebel Fairytales

A universe by Bethan Woollvin

A bold, funny picture-book fairytale series with brave girls, sharp twists, stylish artwork and a darker comic edge.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    4
  • Best for

    4–7
  • Status

    Complete

At a glance

Primary creator
Bethan Woollvin
First book
Little Red · 2016
Tone
Funny, Dark, Irreverent
Overall sensitivity
Moderate

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

Rebel Fairytales is Bethan Woollvin's stylish picture-book franchise that retells familiar fairy-tale shapes with sharper, funnier and more independent heroines. Little Red, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel and Bo the Brave all use bold limited-colour artwork, deadpan humour and a clever refusal to let girls simply wait to be rescued. The books are picture books, but not soft-edged nursery tales: wolves, witches, monsters and peril are part of the appeal. The tone is playful and empowering, with enough darkness to make the jokes bite.

A bold, funny picture-book fairytale series with brave girls, sharp twists, stylish artwork and a darker comic edge.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Funny
  • Dark
  • Irreverent

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

What Rebel Fairytales has done

  • Major award winner
  • Bestseller list

Cultural ubiquity

3/ 5

Well-known to people who know the room.

Sensitivity

Moderate, and collection-wide.

ModerateCollection-wide

Content notes

  • Scary imagery
  • Violence

Across the collection

All 4 books.

About the creator

Bethan Woollvin.

Bethan Woollvin

Both

Bethan Woollvin: British picture-book maker of fractured fairytales (Little Red, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel) — limited-palette, graphically sharp, feminist-edged retellings for ages 4–8.

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