Review: Thumbelina: The Graphic Novel retold by Martin Powell

Thumbelina: The Graphic Novel retold by Martin Powell
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
Hardcover, 33 pages
Published September 1st 2009 by Stone Arch Books
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After seeking the help of a strange old woman, Gerta is amazed to see a tiny girl emerge from the blooming petals of a magical flower! Gerta has always wanted a child of her own, so she adopts the tiny maiden and names her Thumbelina. While Gerta sleeps, a strange creature creeps forth from the darkness and steals Thumbelina into the night. Lost and alone in a forest, Thumbelina must seek the aid of the forest creatures if she is to ever see Gerta again.

 

My Review:

I would just like to start out saying that I love reading graphic novels and fairytale retellings. So when you stumble upon a combination of both then that’s just awesome. This one covers the story of Thumbelina. Now I know the basic story of Thumbelina but have never read the actual story so this one was less known to me. This usually makes me uncomfortable when reviewing a retelling because I can’t really compare the two.

The beginning of these books usually have a cast of characters that has everyone drawn out so you can see who is who. They are also usually based off of a more original version of the fairytale. This one has interesting illustrations and layout. Instead of the random frames like most graphic novels, this one has just three panels on most of the pages and there are a few pages that have just one large illustration. The style of drawings in this book are made to look not perfect, i.e. not straight lines or perfect circles. I actually really like this.

I am really liking Martin Powell’s retellings and after looking at Goodreads and seeing how many he has done, I hope to read many more.

My Rating: