Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

My first all-ages graphic novel, The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales, is due out with First Second (Macmillan) June 18, 2019. Illustrated by Simini Blocker, The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales is a collection of original fairy tales featuring a music-hating witch, a desperate genie, a frog, a spell-casting parrot, an art-loving ogre, and a singing rock. I think it is my best children's writing yet.

I have always loved fairy tales, and the reasons have stayed pretty much the same from when I was a kid until now. I love the imagination behind fairy tales and the eclecticism of the stories. I love how you can finish a handful in a sitting, and travel far and wide while doing it. I love the humor and irreverence in some fairy tales, the meaning and message in others—and the ones that manage both best of all. Or, as Hans Christian Anderson put it...

“Now you must tell us a fairy tale,” said the queen, “and I want it to be both profound and instructive.” “But at the same time funny,” added the king.“I will try,” said the merchant’s son.

Most of all, I love fairy tales’ connection to folk tales; to old, old stories that resonate and echo in the way that only old stories can. I had a lot of fun writing these stories and envisioning the worlds, panel by panel, in which they were to unfold. And it was exciting and gratifying to see those stories take on life in the hands of a talented artist. I only wish there had been room to include more! 

Here is the First Second/Macmillan link for The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales.

News:

The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales is a Fall 2019 Junior LIbrary Guild Selection.

Reviews:

“The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales makes with the magic this summer.... You can’t use adjectives like ‘brand-new’ and not deliver, so it’s a good thing writer, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, and artist, Simini Blocker, do.... Just in time for summer, it’s a quick read but one where the fun doesn’t have to stop with the last page.”

--Comiccon

"This book is wonderful! I can easily say I'm ready for more -- another book with more stories! Yes, it's a kids' book, but if you like fairy tales, you'll enjoy the humor of these new ones, plus the lovely art!"

--Sequential Tart

Here is the full review of The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales on Comicon!