Since Jane Yolen understands and appreciates the art of the fairy tale, studying all the classics and then some, she obviously knows the adage that when you know all the rules, you can break them.

So breaking those rules, boundaries and expectations is what the HOW TO FRACTURE A FAIRY TALE collection is all about.

Yolen breaks them in the right places.

I loved her write-ups in the back of the book about how these tales were formed, variants of many so near and dear to generations of readers. Her own poems help codify what she was striving to accomplish.

Personal favorites are the bridge’s perspective in “The Bridge’s Complaint.” I also enjoyed “Granny Rumple,” “Slipping Sideways Through Eternity” and “The Golden Balls.”