Modern Fantasy

What is Modern Fantasy?

As with traditional fantasy,

modern fantasy is distinguished
from other genres by story
elements that violate the natural,
physical laws of known worldevents akin to magic. However,
modern fantasy has known
authors

Categories of Modern Fantasy

Animal fantasy
Toy & objects infused with life
Tiny humans
Peculiar characters and situations
Imaginary worlds
Magical powers
Supernatural tales
Time-warp
High fantasy
Novelized traditional tales

6 Basic Fantasy Motifs

Magic
Other Worlds
Good vs. Evil
Heroism
Special Character Types
Fantastic objects

Animal Fantasy
Motifs: Magic, Special Character Types

Is the tag given to stories that

depart from reality exclusively
because of talking animals

Olivia the Pig

Author & Illustrator: Ian Falconer

Ian Falconer has illustrated and written the
entire series of the Olivia book collection. The
books talk about the experiences of a little
pig who loves fashion, singing, dancing, and
getting her own way.

Ian Falconer

Bio
His books are
based off of his
real-life first
niece. As a
birthday present
to his niece he
created the
storyline of
Olivia: the pig.
He lives in Los
Angeles and was
born in
Ridgefield,
Connecticut..

Contributions
Falconer's
illustrations have
graced
numerous covers
of The New
Yorker magazine.
In addition, he
has designed
sets and
costumes for the
New York City
Ballet, the San
Francisco Opera,
and the Royal
Opera House,
among others.

Other books
Olivias ABC
Olivia Helps With
Christmas
Olivia and the
Fairy Princesses
Olivia Goes to
Venice
Olivia Saves the
Circus
Olivia Forms a
Band
Olivia and the
Missing Toy
Olivia Counts
Olivias
Opposites

Awards

Caldecott Honor for Olivia, 2000

Parent's Choice 2000, Gold Award Winner
Nick Jr. Best Book of 2001
ALA Notable Children's Books 2000 & 2001
Child's Best Book of 2006
Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2000 & 2001
Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2000 & 2001
BookSense Illustrated Children's Book of the Year for Olivia
Saves the Circus, 2002
Voted "Favorite Illustrator" for Olivia Helps with Christmas by
over 50,000 children at the Children's Choice Book Awards,

Time-warp Fantasy
Motifs: Special Character Types

In much of fantasy, a special

geography or universe is
established

The Giver

The book is a novel

written by Lois Lowry
About a futuristic way
of life in city with allknowing Giver.

Lois Lowry

Bio
She is known for writing about
difficult themes in childrens
format
Writes from experience of her
own life
Says through writing she
hopes to show an awareness
of togetherness and our
future depends on our caring
for one another
Born in Hawaii, has been
writing all her life and is
accredited with writing over
30 books

Other Books
Messenger
Anastasia Series
Gooney Bird Series
All About Sam
Like the Willow Tree
A Summer to Die
The One Hundreth Thing
about Caroline
The Willoughbys

Awards

Rhode Island Childrens Book Award in 2002

Won Margaret Edwards Award
Newberry Award for The Giver in 1994
Awarded the Regina Medal in 1994
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Childrens book award in
1991 for Number in the Stars
Newberry Award for Number in the Stars in 1990

Magical Powers Fantasy

Motifs: Good vs. Evil, Heroism, Magic

Magic is fantasy literatures most

basic element

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

A novel written by J.K.

Rowling

About a young boy

living a miserable life
with his aunt and
uncles family who
finds out he is a
wizard and is thrown
into a grand world
with magic around
every corner. Harry
learns of his destiny
and must decide if he
is up for the
challenge

J.K. Rowling

Biography

Became a literary
sensation in 1999 when
the first three
instalments of the
Harry Potter series
made the top three
spots on the New York
Times best sellers list
After the Harry Potter
books and movies, she
is considered Britain's
13th wealthiest woman

Harry Potter is said to

have changed the
world as we know it
(DeVera)
Incorporated real life
into fantasy magic

Other Books
The Tales of Beedle
the Bard
The Casual Vacancy
Cuckoo Calling
Pottermore

Awards

Nestl Smarties Book Prize, Gold Medal 9-11

years, 1997
Publishers Weekly Best Books 1998
ALA Notable Children's Books, 1999
American Booksellers Association Book of the
Year
International Reading Association: Childrens
Choices, 1999
Nestl Smarties Book Prize, Gold Medal 9-11
years, 1997
Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year, 1998
W. H. Smith Book of the Year Award, 1997

Works Cited

Rowling, J. (1997). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. London:

Bloomsbury Pub.
DeVera, R. (2011, July 16). How Harry Potter changed the world.
Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/5583/how-harry-potter-changed-theworld
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (2001). Retrieved
November 16, 2015,
from http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/book.asp?bookid=32
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. (2010). Retrieved
November 16, 2015,
from http://harrypotter.scholastic.com/sorcerers_stone/
J.K. Rowling Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/jk-rowling-40998

Modern Fairies and Folk Tales

Motif: Magic, Good vs Evil, Heroism

Is written in a traditional style

with the elements of folklore but
with a contemporary twist

The Little Mermaid

Written by Hans
Christian Andersen
The Little Mermaid
is a fairy tale about a
young mermaid
willing to give up her
life in the sea and her
identity as a
mermaid to gain a
human soul.

Hans Christian Andersen

Biography

Was a Danish author

who although a prolific
writer of plays,
travelogues, novels, and
poems, he is best
remembered for his fairy
tales.
Andersens popularity is
not limited to children;
his stories called
eventyr in Danish or
fairy-tales in English,
express themes that
transcend age and

Some of his other books

are:
The Emperors New
Clothes
The Nightingale
The Snow Queen
The Ugly Duckling

Recognition

The Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Solvang,

California, a city founded by Danes, is devoted to
presenting the authors life and works. Displays
include models of Andersens childhood home and of
The Princess and the Pea. The museum also
contains hundreds of volumes of Andersens works,
including many illustrated first editions.
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are awards
by the International Board on Books for Young People
(IBBY), recognising one living author and one living
illustrator for their lasting contribution[s] to
childrens literature. The writing award was
inaugurated in 1956, the illustration award in 1966.
This award is often called the Nobel Prize for