Let these captivating fairy tale retellings sweep you into happily ever after. Re-imagined as black, trans women, come along with Cinderella, Erika, and Belle as they find love and laughter at the ends of their stories. Ella’s stepmother insists she’s a boy, but the princess sees her for the woman she is. When Ella is dumped at the edge of the kingdom, she finds strength in herself to create a new life. Erika’s father sends her across the ocean to the New World, only for a suspicious deckhand to throw her overboard mid-journey. With help from princess Ariel, and a little bit of magic, Erika learns how to live and love under the sea without her voice. Belle has been harassed by Gaston for years, and escapes into her books and the abandoned castle in the woods to get away. It turns out, the castle isn’t abandoned, and the Guardian who lives there thinks Belle deserves the whole world.

Let these captivating fairy tale retellings sweep you into happily ever after. Re-imagined as black, trans women, come along with Cinderella, Erika, and Belle as they find love and laughter at the ends of their stories. Ella's stepmother insists she's a boy, but the princess sees her for the woman she is. When Ella is dumped at the edge of the kingdom, she finds strength in herself to create a new life. Erika's father sends her across the ocean to the New World, only for a suspicious deckhand to throw her overboard mid-journey. With help from princess Ariel, and a little bit of magic, Erika learns how to live and love under the sea without her voice. Belle has been harassed by Gaston for years, and escapes into her books and the abandoned castle in the woods to get away. It turns out, the castle isn't abandoned, and the Guardian who lives there thinks Belle deserves the whole world.

Once upon a time in a faraway land, an heir to the throne is born. The King has a son to follow in his footsteps. But life might not be quite as it appears for this Royal Family. All will be revealed on their child's 16th birthday. Family love triumphs over doubt and together they grow stronger. Join this Royal Family on the path of discovery, acceptance, and celebration.

FAIRYTALES FOR LOST CHILDREN is narrated by people constantly on the verge of self-revelation. These characters - young, gay and lesbian Somalis - must navigate the complexities of family, identity and the immigrant experience as they tumble towards freedom. Set in Kenya, Somalia and South London, these stories are imbued with pathos, passion and linguistic playfulness, marking the arrival of a singular new voice in contemporary fiction. Praise for FAIRYTALES FOR LOST CHILDREN: 'Fantastic writing. I am most highly impressed. I've read some of the stories more than once and saw in each of them plenty of talent everywhere - in every sinew and vein.' - NURUDDIN FARAH 'There is nothing more humbling than good writing except when the author is fiercely beautiful and ferociously generous of heart. That Diriye Osman should possess so much talent is only fair in light of his goodness. Read this book.' - MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO -The characters in these fairy tales are displaced in multiple, complicated ways. But Osman's storytelling creates a shelter for them; a warm place which is both real and imaginary, in which they find political, sexual, and ultimately psychic liberation.' - ALISON BECHDEL 'East Africa. South London. Queer. Displaced. Mentally Ill. My excitement over Osman and his writing comes, in part, out of delight at the impossibility of categorisation.' - ELLAH ALLFREY The Telegraph

In the magical kingdom of Evergreen, beautiful Princess Elena is suddenly whisked away by an old woman. Undefeated champion Gallant and shy bookworm Earnest go on a quest to find “the greatest treasure in the land” so one of them can save and marry the princess. Along the way, Earnest and Gallant realize “the greatest treasure in the land” is not what they expected. This is a 28-page, full-color, illustrated children's adventure picture book with a same-sex marriage.

The all new essays in this book discuss black cultural retellings of traditional, European fairy tales. The representation of black protagonists in such tales helps to shape children's ideas about themselves and the world beyond--which can ignite a will to read books representing diverse characters. The need for a multicultural text set which includes the multiplicity of cultures within the black diaspora is discussed. The tales referenced in the text are rich in perspective: they are Aesop's fables, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Ananse. Readers will see that stories from black perspectives adhere to the dictates of traditional literary conventions while still steeped in literary traditions traceable to Africa or the diaspora.

What exactly are fairy tales and how did they get their name? Have you ever wondered what fairy tales were like before Walt Disney got his hands on them? And who the heck are these Grimm brothers? Fairy Tales 101 is your one-stop shop for these answers and more, giving you all the dirt on the people who have shaped fairy-tale history and exploring the many ways fairy tales have shape-shifted their way into literature and pop culture. This book also prepares you to think like a fairy-tale scholar by examining how tales are transmitted, by whom, and why. Whether you're a scholar aspiring to join the fairy-tale conversation, a writer or an artist who uses fairy tales in their work, or simply a general fan of fairy tales, this is the book for you. In addition to the twenty-two essays explaining basic fairy-tale concepts, methods, and theories, there are also valuable guides and resources on both classic and adapted fairy-tale works to further your studies. Looking beyond how fairy tales are utterly wrapped in magic and fantasy, we can see that fairy tales have always and ever been about us: our views about gender, our fantasies about being happy, and our deeply held notions about who deservers power. Far from being just for kids, fairy tales offer clues into the deepest underpinnings of society, and this book gives you the tools to explore fairy tales to the fullest so you, too, can live happily ever after. "If you want to understand fairy tales - like really understand fairy tales and talk about them like a pro - seriously, read this book." – Sara Cleto, The Carterhaugh School “Dr. Jorgensen has created an excellent bridge text for readers with a general interest in fairy tales to cross over into a world of fairy tale scholarship. Her language throughout the beginner basics is colloquial and accessible as she carries the reader into scholarly thought." – Katrina Reinert, co-host of The Fairy Tellers podcast “Engaging and witty, Dr. Jorgensen delivers a masterful introduction into the study of fairy tales with an easily accessible and consumable book that belongs on everyone’s bookshelves.” – Maggie Mercil, Folklorist

Belle is transgender. She's known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She enjoys wearing her late mother’s dresses and her father helps braid her hair into any style she can think of. She loves nothing more than to curl up in the courtyard of the abandoned castle in the woods with a mug of hot tea and a new book from her favorite store in town. Her life would be perfect except for one beastly, horrible Gaston. He’s a brute of a man, arrogant, tactless, and he won’t leave Belle alone. Relief comes from an unexpected place. The castle in the woods isn’t so abandoned, and while the Guardian who lives there can’t speak, Belle learns to communicate with sign language. She discovers a heartbreaking tale and a whole castle full of friends who quickly become extended family. Until Gaston senses Belle slipping from his grasp. Belle knew ignoring the problem wouldn’t make him go away, and now Gaston threatens more than just Belle’s happiness. He has a sword, an ax, and an entire village of scared people storming the castle to kill the Guardian. He means to steal Belle from the first real community she’s ever found. But Belle has learned a thing or two about the magic of love, and a small man like Gaston can’t destroy that.

Ella is transgender. She's known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She was happier in skirts than trousers, but that was before her stepmother moved in. Eleanor can't stand her, and after Ella's father passes she's forced to revert to Cole, a lump of a son. She cooks, she cleans, and she tolerates being called the wrong name for the sake of a roof over her head. Where else can she go? An opportunity to attend the royal ball transforms Ella's life. For the first time, strangers see a woman when she walks down the stairs. While Princess Lizabetta invited Cole to the ball, she doesn't blink an eye when Cinderella is the one who shows. The princess is elegant, bold, and everything Ella never knew she wanted. For a moment she glimpses a world that can accept her, and she holds on tight. She should have known it wouldn't last. Dumped by her wicked stepmother on the farthest edge of the kingdom, Ella must find a way to let go of the princess and the beautiful life they shared for an hour. She'll never find her way back. But it's hard to forget the greatest night of her life when every rose she plants is a reminder.

Erika is transgender. She's known since she was young; being a woman just fit better. She loved to wear her mother's dresses and tight corsets, but that was before the disease took her mother away. Erika's father doesn't see a daughter, he sees a confused son that needs a new start in a new city across the ocean. Erika has no place to go, so with the last of her mother's dresses she packs for months on a sailing ship. Halfway across the ocean, Erika's life is forever altered. She sneaks on deck in her mother's dress in the dead of night and a superstitious deckhand throws her overboard, dress and all. But drowning at sea isn't how Erika plans to die. She cuts a deal with a sea witch for more than her life--for the first time, she is transformed into the woman she's always known was inside. Her dress becomes a mermaid tail and all it took was her voice. She should have known living her authentic life wouldn't be so easy, though. The witch wants more than Erika's voice, she's on the hunt for the undersea throne, the seat of power. Ariel, the last daughter of the king must marry in three days or the first place Erika has ever called home will be destroyed. The magic of true love is the only thing that can save them now.