Sophie Anderson grew up in Swansea, studied at Liverpool University, and has worked as a geologist and science teacher. The House with Chicken Legs is her first novel.One of Anderson's five favorite fairy tales that smash stereotypes, as shared at the Waterstones blog:
"Blackberry Blue"Read about the another entry on the list.
In this reimagining by Jamila Gavin, inspired by European fairy tales, a woodcutter’s wife finds a baby in a blackberry bush and names her Blackberry Blue. The child grows up happy, and every year visits the bush where she was found. The bush gives her advice and gifts: dresses woven with flowers, so she can attendballs at the palace, and a cloak of briar and thorn to protect her from Prince Just’s evil stepfamily. The dresses leave trails of petals so Prince Just can find her, and Blackberry Blue saves him with the help of her cloak.
"Blackberry Blue" is a courageous, clever heroine with a beauty beyond the limited depictions found in traditional European tales. The story is found in Blackberry Blue: And Other Fairy Tales written by Jamila Gavin, with captivating illustrations by Richard Collingridge, along with five other stories reimagined with diverse characters that better represent Europe today.
--Marshal Zeringue
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