Doctor Fairytale

Gr 1-3–A child acts as a doctor for various characters from western European fairy tales in this playfully illustrated story. Some of the patients are stock characters like a dragon who has a sore throat, but most are recognizable, such as the girl whose scalp hurts because people climb up her hair into her tower. Many of these fairy tales get an update while the doctor treats the patients; here, a princess whose story resembles Sleeping Beauty wakes up from her poisoning and coughs up the apple piece stuck in her throat before anyone can kiss her. Most characters are light-skinned with light hair, including the main character, although a handful of characters throughout have more varied complexions. None of the characters have a visible disability; the injuries treated are not life-threatening. The book has a singsong rhythm and rhyming verses, and the fanciful illustrations allude to many more fables and fairy tales that aren’t explicitly mentioned.