Revolting Rhymes

Dahl takes six familiar fairy tales — Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and three more — and gleefully demolishes their happy endings, replacing sweetness with sardonic dark comedy and surprises that actually land. The verse is energetic and memorably witty, and Quentin Blake's illustrations warm up the macabre material considerably. What makes it valuable beyond the laughs is that it genuinely gets children thinking about story conventions and ethics: why do we expect certain endings, and what happens when they don't arrive? The darkness is played for comedy, not horror, but parents of younger or more sensitive children should know that characters get eaten and beheaded with cheerful finality. It's also short — more a complement to other reading than a standalone experience. For families already comfortable with Dahl's brand of mischief, it's a delight.