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. ( )