One of my favorite "picture crafters", The Little Fox, is having a Summer Giveaway! Her work is worth checking out, so take a look at her blog and her shop! You'll definitely fall in love and want to take them all home. These baby animals especially make me swoon! I actually own a copy of her coloring book that me and my little seven year old girl love to decorate!

Inspiration- The Book of Lost Things

  I am a voracious reader of fairy tales, young adult fiction, fantasy and anything related to teaching. I have always felt my love for children's literature stems from my childhood struggle learning to read. I was born with tiny ear canals and fused bones in my inner, which causes lots of ear infections and required five ear surgeries to "fix". As a result, I hated to read anything as it was often laborious. Eventually, I discovered the great escape of literature, but by then I only had time to read what was required of me during school. It wasn't until college that I really got to read what I wanted to read. I had a lot of catching up to do.

 Traveling back to childhood is certainly a theme in my life (as you could probably tell by my profession). Much of the art and literature that inspires me harks back to my childhood, ideal or otherwise. Recently, I discovered The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It follows the classic fairy tale plot line of boy-to-man, but it takes a twisted turn into a fantastically nightmarish world. You'll meet all the classic "helpers" and "villians", but it will be unlike anything you have ever imagined.

  I love twisted fairy tales like those by Ursula Le Guin and Margaret Atwood, because I often feel like I had a classic childhood turned on its head. I'm also a bit mischievous. This is also why art like that of The Little Fox, Hidden Eloise, Inside the Black Apple and Mark Ryden really appeal to me. There's something just a bit off about those smiling girls of "unspecified age".

Do you know of any other modern versions of classic fairy tales? How about fairy tales with a twist (original Brother's Grimm don't count)?