Dust Off Those Classics: Innovative and Inclusive Retellings

If you think the classic tales of yore have nothing relevant to say to today’s young readers, these three fabulous creators are here to prove you wrong. In their new works, they challenge and transform those dusty (and sometimes problematic) old stories, re-imagining them into something entirely new! David A. Robertson’s The Great Bear, the second volume in his Misewa Saga, is a portal fantasy like the Chronicles of Narnia—but one that prioritizes environmentalism and Indigenous folklore. Myisha Haynes’s artwork for the graphic novel Anne of West Philly transports Anne Shirley’s story from nineteenth-century PEI to a vibrant present-day Philadelphia neighborhood. And finally, Rey Terciero’s Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms turns Tchaikovsky’s ballet into a swashbuckling feminist adventure tale. In this session led by Cinnamongirl Rosie, get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about “the classics”! Ages 8–13.

The bookstore partner for this session is Flashlight Books! Buy the books online at Bookshop.org or purchase them in person at the Festival. More information here.

Book signing information: Flashlight Books Tent at the Bookstore Blv (corner of Allston & Milvia in the Outdoor Fair) at in the park, 1:15 PM

With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the Consulate General of Canada San Francisco/Silicon Valley