High-Five to the Hero

Children's books have come such a long way since I was a kid, they never used to include this kind of content and I feel like I missed out. Luckily, today's kids don't have to.

Really focusing on self-image, confidence, LGBTQ+ themes, friendship, advocacy and disability - this really made these fairytales much better. It added to them but the author also made it her own stories.

It needs to be in every library, it needs to be accessible for all children some way, somehow. I'm glad that books are becoming more progressive and keeping up with the 21st century. This just really delivers that.

Could we get a high-five to the heroine?

Cute progressive re-telling of various male fairy tale and legendary heroes. It's pitched as a kid's book but I think it will do better for adults, as a certain level of understanding regarding the original source text is necessary to make the stories "work." At times I wasn't sure if the intent was satirical or not though and I could easily see this being classed as "humor" rather than children's lit. I did appreciate the emphasis on multicultural, multi ethnic, and LGBTQ characters in the illustrations.

Clever reimaginings of well known stories with lovely illustrations. The casual diversity is nice. Reading the stories all at once, a couple of them were a little insipid, but as a one-a-night they'd be fantastic. A great rad and one that will sit beautifully with other story collections.

Fairy tale retellings ( slightly) making all the boys heroes.
This is a fun little book, while sticking to the original fairy talr but with a modern twist on them.

Read in 1 sitting it was enjoyable and fun and i loved it.

*thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens and Vita Murrow an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

This is such a good collection of stories where the boy is the main hero of the story. There seem to be so many where it's always the girls who are the heroin so it was really nice to get to read 15 fairy tales such as these. 

This collection is also quite modern as well. With themes such as self image, disability and LBGTQ. You never use to see that in children's books so it's quite refreshing. 

I can easily see this being a pretty big hit with children and adults of all ages. You are never to old or too young for fairytales and this is a great mix!

Stories we all already know are cleverly rewritten, so that Arthur and his knights bring peace by having people talk and Sinbad helps a younger sailor find the courage to voyage. The illustrations are lovely, really bright and nice. This book will join the ranks of the best story collections for children ... or for anyone!

Wonderful, simple yet positive stories, with all the ways to be a man highlighted. 

I thought the snowman story was particularly beautiful. A lovely way to introduce LGBT to children in a pitch perfect manner.

An amazingly illustrated and extremely fun selection of stories that lets children see different kinds of masculinity and heroism.

Girl power has been a thing for a while but it hasn't been until lately that I've seen children's books celebrating the heart and tenderness of a boy. Bravo!

I received an arc from netgalley.

 The illustrations in the book are the best part, and the stories are good too, for the most part. some of them are a a little bit strange, but overall it is a good book.

A cute retelling of fairy tales and mythology that provides the antidote to toxic masculinity typically displayed in these tales. Instead the author uplifts boys embracing empathy, queerness, friendship, and emotional intelligence. The reading level has me questioning if this is truly a book for kids. The stories, in my opinion, are better enjoyed when some context regarding the original stories is present--which might not be the case for kids. In the end, however, this is a cute book with lovely illustrations. We need more books uplifting boyhood in a way that dismantles toxic masculinity.

As an adult: I felt this book was trying too hard to make #boypower a thing. Though the illustrations were very cute. 

As a reviewer of Children's Picture books for children: I think little boys will love it and I think boys need to see more that they can be heroes and strong without all the masculinity. Or, even little girls who don't want to read only about Princesses.

2.5
This just fell short for me, I appreciated the messages the author was getting across along with the diversity in both the stories and the illustrations but I can't see many kids being very entertained by them. It just seemed it was all about teaching children above everything else but you need to entertain them at the same time otherwise the message doesn't take root. There are some great ways these stories could have had the same message but be interesting to read, especially since they chose heroes such as King Arthur and Hercules who have action packed adventures in their original tales. Instead they were watered down into something that read more like an essay of social commentary (though it is important commentary), I just think that the entertainment is just as important, especially for children, they will just end up bored and not absorb anything. I'm sorry that I come across so negative about this book, I really do think stories should be told for children showing these values but why make it so boring? It's not all negative, I loved the illustrations and I really enjoyed the sweet tale of the Snowman, it was adorable, I also liked the twist to the King Midas tale.

This is a wonderful collection of stories for boys about boys. Unlike many fairytales where the boy is a warrior, or just the prince charming, the boys in this are the true heroes. Modern themes pertaining to boys and society that surrounds them educates children as well as giving them positive role models and a self esteem. A group of stories, illustrations and characters I would share with my son.
#Netgalley

A refreshingly, bold fairytale anthology that celebrates boy power through a clear lens that commends masculinity and heroism by heart, spirit and empathy, and not by the number of damsels that are rescued or dragons that are slayed.

Rich in detail and moral, Murrow does away with the typical masculinity and 'knight in shining armour' displayed in the original tales and instead uplifts boys and embraces their empathy, heart and purpose by introducing issues of self-image, confidence, LGBTQ, friendship, advocacy, and disability.

With charming illustrations these positive tales will no doubt have a positive impact on all those who read it.

What a beautiful book.
I really recommend it to children.
The re-tellings are really nice and it is nice to see that boys are the main character.
It is a short book, so perfect to read for a kid before bed.

Fairytale anthologies for kids are amazing, and I was instantly in love with the lady version of this book so when I saw one for little gentlemen I was excited! Boys need heroes and princes too! And to see these heroes with messages of self-confidence, advocacy, as well as features for marginalized community! Amazing!

I loved how Power to the Princess subverted stereotypes (including our expectation of how the classic tales should be), but I admit I was hesitant to pick this one up. I feared that the formula that made the first book successful would not translate well with male protagonists. I need not have feared, these tales were as fantastic as the ones in the first tome.

I absolutely adore this book and its companion Power to the Princess. It retells classic fairy tales with modern views of masculinity, feminism, race and sexuality. This book is wonderfully popular in our store and it is absolutely earned: the artwork is beautiful and it is fantastic to imagine young children reading these stories and learning about all the different ways it is possible to be a boy.