THE NIXIE OF THE MILL-POND and Other European Stories, the Cautionary Fables & Fairytales middle-grade graphic novel

THE NIXIE OF THE MILL-POND and Other European Stories (Cautionary Fables & Fairytales #3)
KEL McDONALD, editor (art by Mary Cagle,K.C. Green,Kate Ashwin,Kate Shanahan,Shaggy Shanahan,Ovens,Carla Speed McNeil,Kory Bing,José Pimienta)
Iron Circus Comics (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$15.00 paperback, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: "Wait until the full moon rises, sit at the bank and play a beautiful tune. Then you will see what happens."

Giant beanstalks, trickster cats, magic pipers, royal werewolves, marauding trolls, and wooden battle spoons? You may think you know where these are going but take another look; your favorite European folktales are refreshed, rebooted, and totally reimagined in this high-spirited and hilarious comics collection!

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: A collection of folktales, some familiar and some not (I myownself had never heard of the title tale "Tatterhood and the Nixie of the Mill-Pond"), some on a more humorous retelling and others chilling, so there's truly something for every graphic novel palate in these nine tales.

I wasn't as drawn (!) to this iteration of "Rapunzel" or the editor's contribution, "Bisclavret" (an ancient French werewolf tale), so I shaved off a star. I think the intended ten and up audience will find the mix of familiar and unfamiliar, comedic and serious, retellings very much to their liking. The art is uniformly good to look at ("Pied Piper" provided):

"Jack and the Beanstalk" from the publisher's website:

All the stories offer something extra from their older modes of telling/retelling thanks to the artists' contibutions. A book that delights art-loving, story-loving, and folklore-fancying readers.