SUGAR CANE

In this lyrical retelling of the classic Grimm tale, a young couple lives by the sea. When the woman becomes pregnant, she craves only sugar cane, so the man sets out for the far side of the island, only to discover some in the garden of a grand house nearby. He takes a few stalks, but when he returns for more, he finds the garden’s owner, the sorceress Madame Fate, who announces she will claim the child in payment for the theft. A year after Sugar Cane is born, “as glowing and velvety as a black pansy,” the sorceress imprisons her in a tower with only the ghosts of great teachers and a green monkey for company. Years later, a musician hears Sugar Cane’s voice echoing over the waves, setting the rest of the story into satisfying motion, culminating in a joyous wedding dance, which may still continue to this day. Storace’s glimmering prose and Colón’s luminous artwork are a perfect combination and complement to the story, and a dreamlike tribute to the beauty of the sea. (Fiction. 6-10)