Starting at one of the oldest examples, Ancient Egypt. There are a lot of conflicting creation myths in Egyptian mythology and a great deal of what we know is filtered through layers and layers of what we don’t. While examples in Egyptian mythology are challenging to confirm, the pharaohs, the earthy extensions of the gods have at least one notable example.

It was interesting for us both to read the author and illustrator notes at the beginning of the book, to see how the algorithm was used to change the stories and which elements had to be adapted manually. Most of the gender swapping in the text is completed with a computer program, an algorithm. This blew William’s mind and he is now having a lot of fun trying to gender swap Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Tales of King Arthur and Robin Hood among others. The concept and the digital element has totally captured his interest and he wants to read some of his favourite, classic books with the gender swaps. It has really got both him and I thinking about everything that we read.They’re talking to me on a video call, sitting on their bed, “like John and Yoko”, laughs Fransman, letting slip a little unconscious bias, which she readily confesses to. It comes out when she’s with her four-year-old daughter, too, “referring to animals as male – Hello Mr Magpie – or assuming the school photographer is a man, and I think I’m a switched on card-carrying feminist!” The tales of Ancient Greece have stood the test of time. They are brilliant stories, perfect for performing, reading aloud or alone. These sagas are filled with quests, romance, family feuds, births, deaths, comedy, tragedy, gods, monsters, betrothals, betrayals and battles. Following the incredible success of Gender Swapped Fairy Tales they have taken that same simple step. They haven't rewritten the stories in this book. They haven't reimagined the endings, or reinvented characters. What they have done is switch all the genders. As with all fairy tales, there's various interpretations, versions and readings, inevitably. The 'wolf' was often a 'were wolf' and in the older versions Red manages to escape by saying she has to pee ... Karrie and Jonathan love these stories, and have found a way to breathe new life into them by making one crucial change...

These stories thousands of years old have stood the test of time, and with their age old themes of loss, love and sacrifice, still impact our lives and new stories written today. Beginning life as a woman Hatshepsut ruled as regent upon the death of her husband Thutmose II, the throne passed to her son, Thutmose III. Too young to rule alone, Hatshepsut was regent for her son for three years, until for reasons unknown, she became Pharaoh.William, my 12 year old son, and I share a love of mythology and history. We have built over the years a collection of books filled with a wide range of retellings of the stories of Greek mythology.

William and I have particularly enjoyed reading The Fall of Icara, Thesus and The Minoheifer, Odyssea and The Cyclopess, Arachnus The Weaver and Persea and the Medus’ Head. Do you like Greek Mythology? Do you like learning about ancient civilisations, religions, cultures and traditions? I read the article and I don’t at all get the impression they’re “dyed in the wool genderists”, making out like “hey this Greek heroine may have actually been a trans man”. What they seem to be doing is highlighting and shining a light on the assumptions people have of what is acceptable behaviour for men / male gods, and acceptable behaviour for women / female gods - and switching them round so the women are behaving in a way that isn’t traditionally feminine, and the men are behaving in a way that isn’t traditionally masculine. Which is of course much more like reality than the mythological and storyline pigeon holes that characters are put into. The result is a collection of stories where the woman isn't sitting around waiting to be rescued, or waiting for years for her beloved to return, or pliably taking whatever fate is dished out for her by the men around her. It’s unclear why exactly, but she took on an official throne name and was almost immediately depicted wearing the male regalia of a Pharaoh, but still female pronouns within her royal name.Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - The Greek myths’ peak patriarchy, dramatic power imbalances and raging toxic masculinity demanded to be fed into the gender-swapping algorithm. Photograph: Karrie Fransman Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

It is hard to put into words how clever these books are and for me to explain why these gender swapped myths and the original Gender Swapped Fairy Tales are so important. Imagine a world where you hurry along the street, past wolf-whistling workwomen, pausing at the traffic light for the red woman to turn green before rushing to make your ‘Father and Baby’ class where you’ll join the men (and perhaps one or two token women) in sitting on the floor listening to the story of Sleeping Handsome being kissed without consent by a brave Princess to all the tiny, wide-eyed girls and boys on the floor. Imagine a world turned on its head. A new captivating, inspiring, and totally perspective-shifting volume from the wife and husband team behind Gender Swapped Fairy Tales. Imagine a world where seductive male sirens lure brave heroines to their death, where Icara and her mother fly too close to the sun, and where beautiful men are forced to wed underworld queens...

Karrie Fransman, Jonathan Plackett Press Reviews

A new captivating, inspiring, and totally perspective-shifting volume from the wife and husband team behind Gender Swapped Fairy Tales Thank you Faber Books for introducing us to this brilliant book and inviting us to be part of the tour. Following the incredible success of Gender Swapped Fairy Tales they have taken that same simple step. They haven’t rewritten the stories in this book. They haven’t reimagined the endings, or reinvented characters. What they have done is switch all the genders.