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Lies, Knives And Girls In Red Dresses | June 27, 2012

by Ron Koertge illustrated by Andrea Dezso (Candlewick, Jul. 2012)

I have a plan to stand outside every theater playing Snow White and the Huntsman and hand out copies of Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses to anyone who is crying. I’ll say, “I know, I know – it feels like you’ve just seen your favorite classic fairy tale get hit over the head with a frying pan and buried in the yard. I get that. But this will bring it back to life!” And I don’t think I’ll be exaggerating. Lies written by Ron Koertge and illustrated by Andrea Dezso, is a collection of fairy tales retold as free-verse poetry, paired with folksy black paper cut illustrations. Sometimes Koertge channels that bleak, gruesome world of 18th century Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, and sometimes he resets the stories in our modern world. No matter – all are told with the same unshakable smirk. Here’s my favorite quote, from Koertge’s adaption of The Little Match Girl: “She’s selling CDs on the corner / fifty cents to any stoner / any homeboy with a boner.” Cheeky! But what makes this collection brilliant isn’t its obvious irreverence. Koertge uses his dirty wit to make moving, often painful insights about fairy tale morality, defined by a primitive faith in good and evil that still rears its ugly head a lot today. So if you like fairy tales, read Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses! (Billy Collins recommends it, according to the jacket flap!)

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