All Work and No Play

Keep your eyes peeled for this gorgeous fall release as you will want to have it in your personal collection. Alice and Gert by Helaine Becker and Dena Seiferling is a retelling of The Ant and the Grasshopper tale and it is beautiful.

Many of us are familiar with the tale, ant works all summer long while grasshopper plays and then grasshopper does not have enough food to last the winter proving that hard work pays off. I really appreciate Helaine Becker’s take on the tale especially given the world in which we find ourselves, there is a strong message about the power and the necessity of the arts. In this retelling ant still works and grasshopper still plays but grasshopper’s singing, dancing and acting helps make ant’s work feel easier and lighter. Grasshopper helps ant and in turn ant helps grasshopper.

I’m a sucker for a good friendship story and this one has all the pieces that will make it a treasure story, one with a place of honour on the shelf and one that will be shared for many year’s to come.

Dena Seiferling’s illustrations are some of the most magical I have see in a long time. They have a dreamy quality that make this book timeless. The soft earthy colour palette reflects the setting, being low to the ground with the insects.

A wonderful contribution to the world of fairy tales and one that has not been done time and time again.  We truly loved Alice and Gert. Oh and fine fact, Helaine Becker named the main characters after some incredibly strong women and fierce friends: Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein.