4stars
It was a vibe

Otilla runs away in this beginning chapter-book retelling of a Tyrolean folktale from award-winning author/illustrator Jon Klassen, making her way through the dark woods until she reaches an old, seemingly abandoned house. Here she discovers a skull in residence, and once permitted entry to the house, becomes friends with this odd being—clearly a ghost of the house's prior owner. Defending the skull against the headless skeleton which would claim it, Otilla goes to great lengths to defend her new friend, and having done so, finds her reward...

Published last year (2023), The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale is an adaptation of a traditional Tyrolean tale that Jon Klassen encountered in Ruth Manning-Sanders' 1969 collection, A Book of Ghosts and Goblins, a volume which I own, and which I read many years ago. According to his author's note, he significantly changed the ending, transforming the tale into the story that he remembered reading, after a gap of one year, rather than the tale he actually read. I appreciated his transparency in this issue, and his thoughts on the transmission of folklore. While I do often prefer the original versions of stories, finding them more authentic, I also acknowledge that folklore itself came about because of such transformations as Klassen's. I suppose my own attitude is that we no longer live in a predominantly oral age, making written sources more important than they might have been in prior generations. In light of this, I still prefer the originals, although I do find transformative retellings acceptable when done honestly, with transparency as to source, and without ideological bias (i.e., attempts to make folklore "diverse" by changing cultural and racial identities, rather than highlighting and presenting the great diversity and cultural richness of existing folklore).

In any case, leaving all that aside, I found this one immensely engaging, appreciating both the story and the artwork. I always enjoy Jon Klassen's dry sense of humor, which comes through here in particular in the dialogue between Otilla and the skull. I also appreciated the decisive thoroughness with with our heroine deconstructs the headless skeleton. The artwork is classic Klassen—muted but also very expressive. This is the length of a short novel, and has chapters, but is also very short and simple, textually speaking. I'd recommend it to beginning readers who are just getting going on longer fiction. It's a little scary in places, so adult caregivers should keep that in mind, of course. As for me, I think I need to reread that Ruth Manning-Sanders book, as well as some of her others—she used to be a favorite of mine, when I was a girl! ( )

4stars
It was a vibe

Dark and spooky fairytales are totally my jam, so when I saw this story based on Tyrolese folklore previewed in one of my librarian newsletters (I think Publishers Weekly, possibly) I knew I had to pick it up. The Skull revolves, expectedly, around a skull who is trapped in a castle and beset by a skeleton who is determined to collect a full set of bones. To the skull’s rescue comes a young girl who has run away from her village, setting the stage for a classic fairytale style rescue with dark stylings. I was intrigued by the background of the story - what travesty is happening in this land of ruined villages, abandoned houses, and aggressive skeletons - but the story stays decidedly vague, as is often expected with traditional folktales. Author/illustrator John Klassen focuses instead simply on the events surrounding the skull’s castle - building a gothic melancholy as the skull tours Otilla through its empty castle and building to a crescendo of horror as the girl destroys the skeleton. Unfortunately for me, I never quite settled into the story (not being drawn in by either the narration or illustration), but the potential for deep themes and imagery is ripe within this tale. It’s possibly presented in too simply of a manner, as some quiet poetics in the language would have been well placed, as would a slightly more robust style of illustration. This definitely wasn’t a bad read, by any means, but it definitely didn’t meet my expectations or its own potential. ( )

Otilla has run away from terrible danger and has now found a big abandoned house in the middle of the dark forest. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Filled with rich, monochromatic artwork, The Skull is a retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale.

I wish that I had these types of books as a kid - a bit spooky and dark, but still with a good story to it.

I absolutely loved the artwork of this story. The words were sparse but the art was amazing.

The author’s note at the end was also amazing - as a librarian myself, I love when others speak of our superpowers 🙂

Overall, this isn’t just a children’s book by any means. I think those of all ages will enjoy it. It’s a quick, quirky read that doesn’t really sit on horror, but definitely gives off spooky vibes. ( )

I love this for the full commitment to weirdness and for the sheer thoroughness of Otilia dismembering the headless skeleton. It's very fairy tale and very satisfying. ( )

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/M9IeySwNsFI

Enjoy! ( )

The original story is in A Book of Ghosts and Goblins written by Ruth Manning-Sanders and illustrated by Robin Jacques (1969) and turns out to be rather different from what Mr. Klassen remembered after reading it before he did a presentation in a library in Alaska. In the Author's Note, he explains that this is the way folktales work.
I started reading this with a couple of 5th graders, who decided that it was maybe too scary/creepy to continue. We read I Want My Hat Back instead---not sure if this isn't ultimately more disturbing. ( )

New Year's Day family picture book read-aloud celebration! (Book 1 of 5)

A dark and eerie tale with a butt-kicking protagonist.

Warning: Some kids might find this a little too scary.

Side note: This book is an adaptation of a folk tale retold in A Book of Ghosts and Goblins by Ruth Manning-Sanders, but Klassen discusses in his "Author's Note" how much he changed, so I found a copy available on Internet Archive. It's a short chapter and took only a few minutes to read, and I was happy to get the full backstory of the skull that Klassen dropped from his retelling. And it was amusing to see how visually different Klassen's interpretation is from that of illustrator Robin Jacques. ( )

Award-winning picture book creator Jon Klassen newest book is a spooky adaptation of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. It's about a girl named Otilla who runs away to a house in the woods and befriends a skull, and defeats the skeleton that is trying to reclaim the skull. It's perfectly macabre yet somehow, sweet. In the aftwards, Klassen notes that his adapation is based on how he remembered the story, making The Skull a truly original take on an old tale. Klassen's illustrations are minimalistic and impactful. He uses a muted color palette that suits the spooky nature of the fairy tale perfectly.

Perfect for autumn and the Halloween season. This book should appeal to kids (and adults) who enjoy a good spooky story.

So, when the leaves start falling, and the weather turns cool, grab a mug of tea and sit down with "The Skull!" Maybe he'll become your friend too! ( )

We’re used to getting picture box from John Klassen. This year he does a little longer story and gives us the Skull. This was originally a folktale of a certain sect of Austrian people. There is a small person running away from something into the woods. They come across the house, and in the house, there is the skull who needs protecting from the rest of the skeleton. This is a folktale in the true tradition of folktales. It doesn’t have the happy everything magical ending that you would see with something Disney has gotten a hold of. If this was Cinderella, toes would be coming off. But in this case, it’s the Skull. The artwork is amazing which is what anybody expects from Klassen and the story is just on the right side of dark for spooky scary times, without being horror or too dark for young children. I loved everything about this, and in the author’s note at the end, John even talks about how he originally wrote the story and where his mind took him to the book that was published. This book is bound to be a classic just like the rest of his picture books that I’ll be heading down to my nieces and nephews for a long time to time. ( )

Oh this is perfect for a short walk, or before you go to sleep — even if you aren’t the _target demographic. I’m so happy I slotted this into my commute. Absolute charming and “creepy”. The narrator of the audiobook is Fairuza Balk which was just an added bonus! Love her. It’s based on a folktale and has that atmosphere throughout. Jon Klassen is a delightful storyteller and terrific artist. I always enjoy his books. ( )

In THE SKULL, @jonklassen’s reimagined take on a Tyrolean folktale from @candlewickpress, young Otilla is escaping an unknown danger and fleeing through the night into the forest. She stumbles upon an ancient house and befriends a skull, who gives her sanctuary in exchange for carrying him around the castle (it isn’t easy for him to roll about). In the night, the skull admits to being in danger himself, and Otilla takes it upon herself to repay the skull’s kindness and help him in his time of need.

Told with monochromatic paintings in Klassen’s signature style, this is a quick, whimsical book that is both macabre and has heart. The author’s note at the end explains the importance of folktales and how distance and time can change the folktale and its memory. A delightful wee book that will definitely start to get you in the Spooky Season mood.

#theskull #jonklassen #candlewickpress #folktale #illustration #illustratedbook #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #bookstagram #books #bookreview #readingnow #reading #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog ( )

Otilla runs away (we never know from whom, or why), through the woods, and finds a house inhabited by a talking skull. The skull agrees to let her in if she will carry him around, which she does. But before the first night in the house, the skull warns her that a headless skeleton comes every night to try to get the skull. When this happens, Otilla comes up with a plan to banish the skeleton forever, and she and the skull live, it's implied, happily ever after.

Heavily illustrated chapter book, not a picture book.
*
Re-read January 2024
https://heavymedal.slj.com/2024/01/08/heavy-medal-mock-newbery-finalist-the-skul...
See Kyra Nay's comment about chiastic structure ( )

It's a sweet, misfit found family story in a delightfully creepy wrapper. Jon Klassen's art is perfect as usual; by turns cute and cozy and scary and menacing. I love it so, so much. ( )