Sybille Schenker is a designer and illustrator from Nuremberg in Germany.
Her work is dedicated to paper cut art, and she has won numerous awards for her children’s
picture books.
Although this series was originally published in German, fortunately they have also been
released in English to allow her stunning fairy tale editions to reach a wider audience.
Hansel and Gretel was the first in this series to be released in 2013.
It contains a couple of die-cut pages, but mostly makes use of translucent paper that
feature her hand cut illustrations that overlay wood-block-style silhouettes, making great
use of light and shadow to create a creepy atmosphere.
It tells the classic story of the siblings being sent into the forest by their wicked
stepmother, captured and fattened up by a witch, whom they trick into the oven so that
they can escape to be reunited with their father.
The books are creatively bound with string and also feature spot gloss illustrations
on the covers.
Little Red Riding Hood followed shortly after in 2014.
In this edition, the hand-cut paper has been translated into intricate laser die-cuts and
bright bold colour for the underlying illustrations, and turning every page is a delight.
The story retains some of the darker tones of the original tale, with the huntsman cutting
open the wolf at the end to release Red and her Grandmother.
The die-cut pages come well-protected with tissue paper.
Most recently, The Frog Prince was released at the end of 2018.
This edition makes use of a delightfully vivid green page colour, and many shimmering gold
accents on the illustrations.
For this book, the style has moved back closer towards the original design, with her illustrations
on translucent paper overlays – perhaps because the delicate nature of the laser die-cuts
limited the audience of the earlier volume to adults.
Once again, the story follows the original Grimm version, so don’t be surprised when
the spell is broken with rather more violent means than a kiss, and it ends with the tale
of Iron Henry, the devoted servant who put iron bands around his chest to keep his heart
from breaking at the loss of his master.
The tales in this series have timeless appeal, and they make a beautiful addition to a fairy
tale library.
Thanks for watching, and I look forward to sharing my next episode of Beautiful Books
with you soon.
Bye!