The Witch Demands a Retraction

The Witch Demands a Retraction by Melissa Balmain Illustrated by Ron Barrett

Release: April 12, 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Humorist Books
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N

Pinocchio Runs for Office, The Peeved Piper, Not So Snow White and so many more in this twisted collection of adult fairy tales.

This hilarious collection of poems puts a grown-up, contemporary spin on the stories and characters. Those stories which we all learned as children, from Little Red Riding Hood, to the Three Bears, the Pied Piper, and Cinderella. Each delightfully depicted in full-color by one of the best and award winning illustrators in the business.

About Melissa Balmain:

Melissa Balmain is a writer, teacher, and recovering mime. She edits Light, America’s longest-running journal of comic verse.
Her books include Walking in on People chosen by X.J. Kennedy for the Able Muse Book Award. Also included is the Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy-Tale Reboots for Adults . Poet Laureate Billy Collins has described her work as “an infectious, often hilarious blend of the sweet and the lethal, the charming and the acidic.” Pulitzer Prize winner Gene Weingarten has called it “extremely irresponsible.”

Moreover, as a journalist and humorist, Balmain has traveled widely. And she has written on subjects ranging from popular culture to parenthood, from cattle ranchers to collies that surf. Her memoir, Just Us: Adventures and Travels of a Mother and Daughter is about the days when she was free to run off with her mother.

Balmain’s poems and prose have appeared in many anthologies, and in many publications . Included are The American Bystander, American Life in Poetry, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. In addition to the Able Muse Book Award, she has won national journalism honors and the Poetry by the Sea Sonnet Award.
She teaches writing at the University of Rochester and lives nearby with her husband, their two children, and a pair of non-surfing cats.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

About Ron Barrett

Ron Barrett is the illustrator of the classic picture book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, one of The New York Times’ Ten Best Illustrated Books. It has sold over six million copies globally and produced two motion pictures, a TV series, and plastic toys in Happy Meals. The Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs has exhibited Ron’s illustrations twice. Ron’s work has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times. He’s also been Art Director of The National Lampoon.

Facebook| Instagram

The Witch Demands a Retraction Review:

“The Witch Demands a Retraction” is a hilarious collection of our classic Fairy Tales, spun for adults, and will make you change the perspective with them.

The creators did a fantastic job in this book, and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenarios. I admit, there were times when I used to read a fairy tale and laugh at some of the implausible situations the characters would find themselves in. For instance, wouldn’t Rapunzel’s head hurt when the prince put his weight on it to climb? The author takes all the classic fairy tales and spins them into adult situations. I found Snow White and Beauty and the Three Bears funny, and they were some of my favorites.

Moreover, the author keeps the book fresh and doesn’t use the same style of humor in every story. Each tale has a new style from the previous one. For instance, I loved the creativity behind the one where Cinderella’s Podiatrist writes an Amazon Review. Even Bluebeard and Rumpelstiltskin were unique in their way, and I admired the author’s storytelling style.

The illustrations by Ron Barrett are unique and give the book a quirky, charming look. I loved the details of some of the artwork and its textures and thought the images with Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard were the highlights. He illustrates the characters in a whimsical, childlike manner yet adds a touch of mischief to balance with the tale.

Overall, “The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults” was definitely out of the norm from what I usually read. Still, it is nevertheless very entertaining and worth checking out!

Book Tour Schedule

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on The Witch Demands a Retraction by Melissa Balmain Illustrated by Ron Barrett Blog Tour hosted by Suzyapproved Book Tours .