June Queer Book of the Month: Tales From Beyond The Rainbow by Pete Jordi Wood

Tales From Beyond the Rainbow collected and adapted by Pete Jordi Wood @SPL: J FIC Wood

Tales From Beyond the Rainbow is a collection of ten folk and fairy tales celebrating 2SLGBTQIA+ “heroes, sheroes, theyroes, and queeroes”. Collected from countries around the world, including Benin, China, Russia, India, and even Canada, these epic stories include talking animals, witches, sorcerers, peasants and royalty, just as you’d expect. Refreshingly, they also feature trans princes and princesses, gay ghosts, and spinsters who subvert the patriarchy!

In many of the stories, the main characters are loved and accepted by most, but the hatred or jealousy of a few leads to conflict. The Girl in the Market is the rags-to-riches story of Dausi, a young trans woman who sells peanut sauce in the market and captures the heart of the king. A jealous woman in the king’s court tries to sabotage their wedding by spreading gossip about Dausi’s gender. In The Ivory City, the fairy princess Gulizar tries to poison her fiance’s best friend out of jealousy. The stories have outlandish details and are occasionally violent, but ultimately, they are tales of “love in its many forms, transformation, identity and gender, hope, survival and living life as your true self”.

Anthologist Pete Jordi Wood paid great attention to selecting illustrators connected to the cultures represented in the stories and/or with queer identities. However, the illustrations are sparse and printed in black-and-white. I would have loved if this anthology was larger and glossy-paged, with full-colour illustrations to really bring these fantastical stories to life.

This is a refreshing collection for anyone who loves folk and fairy tales, particularly readers who have never seen themselves reflected in tales of Prince Charmings and happily ever afters. Tales from Beyond the Rainbow would make for a good family read-aloud at bedtime or around the campfire.

Alida Lemieux | Public Service Librarian | Stratford Public Library