Storybook Favorites: From Mermaids to the Brahmazing Race

EPIC WOMEN TELL ALL (link)

Cover Photo for Epic Women Tell All. Panchakanya, a pre-1945 lithograph from Ravi Varma Press, Authors listed: Anant Shivaji Desai, Ravi Varma Preaa, Source: Wikipedia

I loved how this storybook not only retold the stories with a bit of a twist, but also fleshed the characters in a believable setting that was consistent. Other blogs that retold stories were often disjointed, but this blog had a really consistent and just generally well-written narrative that was entertaining and modern. I'm not very familiar with the Ramayana (I am excited to read it for this class!), but the stories were still explained enough that I could easily follow them. I also enjoyed the "feminist twist" the author included in the retelling, which gave the characters fun and modern attitudes. Overall, wonderfully crafted and very entertaining.

THE OTHERS IN WONDERLAND (link)

This storybook had a great twist on it: retelling a common story from a different character's (or characters') point of view. The introduction specifically of this storybook did a good job of explaining the idea and the motivation behind the project, which provided great context for reviewing the rest of the storybook. The writer did a good job of using the Rabbit to connect the stories together, but it still felt as if the storybook was missing a few stories. Overall, I liked this storybook because it did a great job of reinterpreting stories and adding lore and new motivations to characters that were lacking a fully developed character in the source material.

THE BRAHMAZING RACE (link)

Webpage "Logo" crafted by the student, Jason Yingling: image

Not only was the storybook wonderfully crafted and well-written, but it was based on a pun. I love puns (obviously). Anyway, I also enjoyed how this storybook, in distinction from all the others I reviewed, made a specific effort to include information about the geography in which the stories take place. This contributed interesting and worthwhile context to all the stories while still remaining thematically consistent. Throughout the storybook, I also enjoyed how the characters within the "Brahmazing Race" made reference to the Ramayana and the scenes within it, having legitimate impact on the story being told. For example, several nods are made to Ravana's misdeeds throughout the storybook, leading to more terse and tense interactions than with the Ramayana's hero, Rama. Overall, I loved the unique spin that incorporated both the stories of the Ramayana, the geographical context of the stories,  and a potential travel itinerary to boot! 

MERMAIDSONLY.COM (link)

This was the only blog that made me laugh out loud. It was also one of the first blogs I visited, which unfortunate for the other blogs, since it set such a high standard. The set-up as an online mermaid-dating site was hilarious yet well composed and thought out. Importantly, the storybook felt complete and it felt like each page was made specifically for this project, unlike some of the other storybooks. It was such a unique idea, and it was executed very well, despite what seems to be somewhat sparse source material. Nevertheless, whatever tidbits of lore that this storybook was based on seem to be incorporated into the project well. This was my favorite storybook that I found.