Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm
Book 2 of the acclaimed
Muppets Meet the Classics series.
“Raucous retellings of classic tales, modernized for today’s savvy readers. Recommended!”
—School Library Journal
From Kirkus Reviews: “Cast members of the original Muppet Show, from the stars to the obscure, run around in the prologue getting ready for a performance, much as they did on television in the 1970s. Miss Piggy demands a private dressing room. Gonzo crashes through the ceiling. Kermit and Scooter rush around helping and controlling. What follows when the curtain rises are 18 fractured fairy tales (and these are compound fractures). Fozzie stars in a gender-flipped ‘Little Red-Cap’ called ‘Not-So-Little Red Cap,’ his bad jokes well-represented. Miss Piggy is the put-upon daughter of the miller who must spin straw into gold for a greedy king (Dr. Teeth—three guesses where the gold will go) in ‘Unclestiltskin.’ Janice makes a most excellent Rapunzel, and Kermit (of course) a chipper frog prince. Humor both wry and broad is in abundance, and there are plenty of one-liners aimed at adults, making this a nifty collection of stories to read together. Genially foolish illustrations precede every tale, and the original tale titles appear under the Muppetized ones. It’s not hard to imagine that the Grimms are rolling over in their graves—with laughter.”
“Author Erik Forrest Jackson is back with another entry in Muppets Meet the Classics, this time smashing together your favorite felt characters with some of your favorite fairy tales… He’s done an impeccable job of blending the old-timey jargon of the Brothers Grimm with the zaniness of the Muppets in a way that is not confusing to read, making it ideal not only for us adults, but for young teenagers as well… Obscure characters, mutilated feet and amazing illustrations are just part of what makes this a great read… If you love the Muppets, you’re definitely going to enjoy this book.”
—The Muppet Mindset blog
From Booklist: “Backstage, the Muppets are all aflutter (especially the chickens), preparing for their next performance—a reenactment of the Grimm Brothers’ most beloved tales. Sam Eagle is appalled by this choice, saying these tales are too dark and violent for the Muppets. Kermit counters with a brief overview of the history and influence of Grimm fairy tales. The prologue then eases into 18 stories, some well-known (‘Unclestilskin’/ ’Rumplestilskin’) and some obscure (‘Two Brothers and a Mountain of Trouble’/’Simeli Mountain’). Fozzie makes terrible jokes. Miss Piggy plays the evil stepmother. When Waldorf says, ‘He kinda grows on you,’ Statler counters with, ‘So do warts.’ Ohohohoho! As in Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera (2017), Jackson’s descriptions of the zany cast are both hilarious and accurate. Janice, for example, has ‘long spaghetti-straight blond locks, plump red lips, and eyelashes long as a daddy longlegs’ long legs.’ Fairy tale fans will laugh at this silly collection and enjoy comparing these fuzzy, feel-good adaptations to the originals. (The characters still die—but it’s OK! It’s only a play!)” —Biz Hyzy