Irregular Fairy Tales

What makes a fairy tale Irregular? Hansel & Gretel's parents refusing to allow the kids to be adopted by fairies because they disapprove of the fairy lifestyle. Rumplestiltskin teaching a young woman to keep her promises. A prince for Rapunzel who never mastered rope climbing in gym class. Tom Thumb's mother refusing to allow him to date the one girl his size because she's Protestant. Not fairy tales for children - although frequently childish - Irregular Fairy Tales are much more fun than a trip to the ball, and less expensive too, when you consider how much interest Fairy Godmothers are charging these days. The Ithaca Times says... "The conversations between characters in these stories sometimes recall the deadpan absurdities of Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (in 'The 2,000-Year-Old Man' and all of their movies.)" ... "Teel is at his best when he integrates sound, alabeit only tangentially relevant, logic into these tales in a breezy, off-hand style." ... "In 'Hansel and Gretel' (and several other stories) (Teel) wraps up his story in fashion that is...the opposite of the traditional ending, which can be gratifying to those who find cheerfully clever children to be really obnoxious." --The Ithaca Times