That might be families from a different culture, or families with a non-traditional parenting set-up, like those with one parent, or two dads, or two mums, of which I personally happen to know several.” Traditional fairytales can provide views that are outdated or that aren’t as in line with contemporary thinking. Ella found the reimagining in Goldilocs offered a chance to consider new perspectives and to encourage young readers to be both creative and also playful, something which has formed a recurring theme through her oeuvre. “Lots of old fairytales at their core contain warnings about straying off the path and disregarding rules. While I’m not advocating for breaking and entering (haha!) I liked the idea of this messy little heroine who isn’t perfect but wants to try her best and explore new things.” Ella considers this as something of a guide to life! “It’s definitely how I try to live my life, even at my big age! I also wanted to take the opportunity to gently, with humour, sort of prod at the limited (and often pretty boring!) presentations of women in old stories. Ultimately though I just generally love subverting people’s expectations of old stories – Goldilocs isn’t my first rodeo – my debut YA novel Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair is a Rapunzel retelling which draws on Caribbean mythology, my second novel, The Map That Led To You, also uses Caribbean mythology and my adult debut, Andromeda, is a reimagining of a Greek myth!” Peter wondered whether his publisher might be ready for a same-sex marriage in a children’s book, revealing: “When I came up with the idea of the two princes marrying at the end of The Princes and the Pea, I asked my editor if she thought Bloomsbury was ready for a gay wedding in a picture book. Her reply was, ‘Well, my daughter is married to a woman, so if they’re not, they bloody well ought to be!’ Luckily, Bloomsbury were very happy indeed. The best way to overcome prejudice is to encounter the marvellous variety of humanity as early as possible and to treat it all as everyday and unremarkable. Hence, I treated the royal wedding of Fred and Zak as something perfectly normal, ordinary, and joyous – like any other wedding.” Justice and equality were core parts of the reimaging, according to Peter who says. “I have already outlined other aspects of Andersen’s original story that I felt were somewhat out of kilter with modern psychology and relationships, not to mention misogynistic. For me, looking at old stories in this way is a good starting point for a reimagining. (“What if the princess said, ‘Don’t be so ridiculous!’ at this point?”) Apart from that, children have a wonderfully keen sense of fairness and I feel that the chief messages of The Princes and
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writing. I loved how lyrical this story was, and the message was right up my street. I’m a mother of two girls, so any tale that empowers them is always going to be a winner for me.”
Peter Bently.
the Pea – ‘follow your heart’ and ‘make a new rule if the old one’s not right’ – are ones that they readily respond to.” Ella continues to be influenced by fairytales, folk tales and myths, saying: “Right now I’m thinking a lot about the demonisation of difficult women, what it means to be ‘angelic’, and the secret lives of fairy godmothers…”
Rochelle points to the importance of the representation that her own daughters are exposed to through stories as a motivating factor in her work. “I’m such a fan of Ella’s
Peter has a strong background in recognising the opportunities that fairytales and folk tales provide for making sharp social commentary and for providing counterpoints to constrained representation and aspirations often contained in the stories of yesteryear. “Alongside these outright retellings or riffs, there are also folktale elements in a number of my books. Potion Commotion has a sequence inspired by The Magic Porridge Pot. And The Great Dog Bottom Swap is inspired by an old folktale-cum- rude yarn. As for further projects, I am always on the lookout for other old tales that might lend themselves to being retold or reimagined as modern rhyming picture books. I like stories where the tables are turned – for example Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, although both of these have been done fairly often. Also, as I have mentioned, stories that lend themselves to strong female characters.” Traditional forms can offer an important frame for everyone to feel included and involved in a shared base of stories. PEN&INC
Spring-Summer 2026
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