With a background in bookselling, Jen Campbell is the author of Franklin’s Flying Bookshop and the Sunday Times bestseller, Weird Things People Say in Bookshops.
She has a passionate interest in fairy tales and runs a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing the history of different tales.
In this episode, she talks about her own folk tale collection, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers and other gruesome tales, fourteen stories that have been collected from across the globe.
About The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers
Jen Campbell’s collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales lends a modern edge to fairy tale collections for young readers. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of fairy tale history, Campbell’s stories undo the censoring, gender stereotyping and twee endings of more modern children’s fairy tales, to return both classic and little-known stories to their grim versions, whilst celebrating a diverse range of characters. Featuring 14 short stories from around the globe, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is illustrated in a contemporary style by Canadian comic artist Adam de Souza.
De Souza’s brooding illustrations are a highly original blend of 19th-century Gothic engravings and moody film noir graphic novels.