Reading level: Ages 4-8
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Video courtesy of DisneyHyperion: A hilarious and whip-smart take on fractured fairy tales, from rising stars Mac Barnett and Adam Rex.
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By: Rae,
on 12/4/2011
By: Chris Singer,
on 8/9/2011
Review by Chris Singer
About the author:
Trisha Speed Shaskan is the author of over 30 books for children and has taught creative writing to children and adults for fifteen years. She is the recipient of a 2009 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers and is currently at work on a new novel for young adolescents entitled Sass.
About the book:
OF COURSE you think I did a horrible thing by eating Little Red Riding Hood and her granny. You don’t know the other side of the story. Well, let me tell you…
My take on the book:
Along the lines of a fractured fairy tale, Shasken brings readers a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story, but this time the Wolf gets to finally give his point-of-view.
Young readers familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood will have a great time reading the Wolf’s version of the story. In this version, the Wolf is really a vegetarian who prefers eating apples to another else. Unfortunately it’s not apple season and Wolf has gone without food for weeks. When he happens upon Red Riding Hood, he finds her vanity annoying and comes up with a plan to eat her and her grandmother.
I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you, but readers will be eager to get the ending of the Wolf’s version. If the story doesn’t keep readers engaged, Gerald Guerlais’ illustrations certainly will. These are simply amazing and provide the perfect backdrop for this story. I love how the wolf is depicted with a goofy grin on this face, almost making him look innocent and unassuming.
Retelling fairy tales and other familiar stories from a different perspective and point-of-view are wonderful ways to help young readers develop literacy skills such as comprehension, storytelling, point-of-view and narration. As I read this, I couldn’t help thinking about all of the creative ways teachers could use this in their classroom. As a result, I was really pleased to see a series of questions included at the end of the book. In this “Think About It” section, readers have the opportunity to express their thoughts about the story by comparing it to the original version. Other exercises including thinking about how the point-of-view and narration affects the outcome of a story. These are excellent additions to the book and provide great opportunities for readers to work on writing skills as well.
If you think you might enjoy this, you can also check out Capstone Publishing’s website which features other books like this including Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks by Baby Bear; Seriously, Cinderella Is So Annoying by the Wicked Stepmother; and Trust Me, Jack’s Beanstalk Stinks by the Giant.
Note: I received an ARC of this book from Capstone publisher via Netgalley. I was not compensated in any ways for writing this review.
*Picture book, fantasy (fractured fairy tales) for preschoolers through third graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: The Gold Miner’s Daughter is clever and adorable. One of those “I wish I would have written this” books!
Short, short summary:
Jackie Mims Hopkins writes this adorable tale about Gracie Pearl, who lives in gold minin’ country with her Pa. They are in the midst of hard times, and Mr. Bigglebottom says that they need to give him some gold or else he’ll take Gracie Pearl as his wife. That’s the last thing she wants, of course, and so she goes out to find gold. Instead of finding gold, she finds several fairy tale creatures (imagine an almost Shrek-like romp through fairy tale land), such as Goldilocks who is too busy to help her because she’s got some bears hot on her trail. Gracie Pearl also finds the three pigs tied to railroad tracks and Rapunzel in her castle tower, just to name a few. In the end, Gracie Pearl finds BLACK GOLD and that dastardly Mr. Bigglebottom gets exactly what he deserves. The illustrations by Jon Goodell make this book!So, what do I do with this book?
1. I love books that have activities built in, and this is one of those. At the beginning of the book, a “key” is shown to students. This key tells them what to do when they see certain symbols throughout the book. So, for example when they see a hand with a finger pointing up, they are supposed to say, “Aha!” Students are involved with the book and having fun while acting out the storyline.
2. There are several fairy tales represented in this book. Ask students to make a list of the characters from fairy tales and then discuss how each of them is being true to their character and playing a role in the plot of this book.
3. Discuss with students what melodramatic means. If possible, show them some footage of a melodramatic movie or scene.
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By: Rae,
on 5/19/2011
By: Rae,
on 2/9/2011
I love writing and reading fractured fairy tales. Fractured fairy tales are made when the author takes fairy tales we know and change them up. Some people start their stories where the fairy tales left off (like what really happened to Cinderella and her evil steps after she married the prince) or they write an updated version of an old tale (change the prince into the popular guy at school or something like that).
A few years ago, I took Little Red Riding Hood and change it up a bit. I had so much fun doing it! So, today, I'm sharing it with you.
Little Redd
Seriously, you’re not going to believe what happened to me the other day!.jpeg?picon=893)
By: Annie,
on 10/14/2010
In Alan Haehnel's play Nora's Lost, Nora (the protagonist) suffers from Alzheimer's and wanders away from a nursing home. Her story is told by point-of-view characters, including a younger version of herself (pink and black scarf) and a younger version of her daughter (pink chiffon).
I'm not sure why Haehnel chose to use these point-of-view characters to share Nora's journey, but it works and creates a dramatic effect.
Think about your favorite stories. What's the POV? My favorite is The Great Gatsby, where a young and naive Nick moves into a cottage on Gatsby's property. We learn about the intense love affair between Nick's cousin Daisy and Jay Gatsby through Nick's eyes. And after Jay is killed by a crazed, jealous husband, we learn the deeper truths from Nick.
As storytellers, we choose through whose eyes readers view action and reaction. And, we decide if the protagonist or a point-of-view character earns the privilege of telling all. Can the protagonist be a POV character? Absolutely!
If you're in the planning stages, several exercises can help you determine who should be the storyteller. I have two tried and true methods that work.
Limiting the involvement of a POV character can cause a few problems in a manuscript. Most importantly, it prevents the reader from seeing a lot of the action as it occurs. Instead, readers learn about what's happened to the main character ONLY after the narrator discovers the truth.
But the benefits of keeping the two separate can aid storytelling. Storylines can continue, which is important if a tragedy befalls the main character. And, a POV character can reflect on what's happening, offering observations that the main character may have never shared or realized.
At the end of Nora's Lost, all POV characters swirl around the old woman as she struggles for her life, memories colliding with reality, strong will clashing with fragility. It's poignant and leaves an impression on the audience.
POV is a powerful storytelling technique that can make or break a piece of work. Who is telling your story?
Photo of O'N'eill St Mary's Drama Department production taken by LuAnn Schindler (who also directed the award-winning play)
by LuAnn Schindler. LuAnn also writes a column for WOW!s Premium Green and freelances for regional publications. Her work is available on her website, http://luannschindler.com/.
*Picture book for preschoolers through 2nd graders, fantasy (fractured nursery rhyme)
*Dish and Spoon as main characters
*Rating: Kids love books like The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon that play off an old nursery rhyme and have loads of fun stuff in the illustrations.
Short, short summary:
What happened after the dish ran away with the spoon? Well, this book will answer that question. From trying their luck in a vaudeville show to buying a car and shopping for jewelry and furs, the Dish and Spoon have quite an adventure. It’s all fun and games until the Dish meets a rock, and the Spoon meets jail. Will these two ever make it together again?So, what do I do with this book?
1. Read the nursery rhyme to children, “Hey Diddle, Diddle!” Ask children to imagine other things about this nursery rhyme. For example, ask them, “Why do you think the cow jumped over the moon?” “Why did the little boy laugh?” “What are the cat and the fiddle doing?” You can record answers on a piece of chart paper and create a classroom display by asking students to illustrate their answers. Be creative! Mini Grey sure was.
2. Study the illustrations carefully, especially the ones on the sidebars. What else do the illustrations tell about the story of the Dish and the Spoon that the text doesn’t tell? Discuss with students how in the picture book genre illustrations are as important as the text, and both work together to tell the story.
3. This is a book about friendship. Spoon and Dish are friends, they trust each other, and they love each other. Talk to students or your children about being a good friend. What are the qualities of a good friend? How do Dish and Spoon show these qualities? How do you show these qualities in your everyday life?
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Before I talk about this cute book (I love fractured fairy tales), I want to announce the winner of Plank Road Summer. Again, thank you to everyone who left comments and questions for the authors. It seems to me that historical fiction is always a big hit, in spite of what the “big publishers” in New York are telling us. 
So, the winner is. . .June S. Congratulations to June!
The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon
*Picture book, fantasy for preschoolers through second graders
*Three little rigs as main characters
*Rating: What a cute twist on The Three Little Pigs. Great for your little ones who love trucks and big rigs!
Short, short summary: The Three Little Rigs by David Gordon is a version of The Three Little Pigs. In this story, each rig has to go out and build a garage. The first rig chooses wood, and the big, bad wrecking ball easily destroys it. The second rig builds his garage out of brick, and the big, bad wrecking ball wants to be let in. Of course, the rig answers, “Not by the chrome on my chinny chin chin.” The wrecking ball easily ruins the garage. Then there’s the third and brilliant, hard-working rig. He builds his out of steel. The wrecking ball can’t wreck it, but he is so big and bad–he doesn’t stop there. He enlists some help from a magnet and cutters. What will the rigs do to save this garage and live happily ever after?
So, what do I do with this book?
1. One of the best activities to do with fractured fairy tales is compare and contrast them to the original using art, a writing journal prompt, or a shared writing experience with a Venn diagram, depending on the age and ability level of your students or children. (By the way, David Gordon has other fractured fairy tale books such as Hansel and Diesel and The Ugly Truckling.)
2. This is a great book to discuss problem solving with children. How do the rigs finally solve their problem? With teamwork and cooperation from their friends. Children can talk about a problem they have had (or someone else’s problem) and how people worked together to solve the problem. You can also bring in current events, depending on what is going on in the world or your community when you read this book (and again the age of your children). For example, how do government officials solve a problem like the oil spill in the ocean? It takes a lot of people working together. This is a good book to lead into a character education segment on teamwork and being part of a team.
3. Books like The Three Little Rigs are meant to be read aloud and to have students do echo reading and even role playing. Let students read with you (or after you): “Not by the chrome of my chinny chin chin.” Let students act out the different parts. For an end of the year celebration, you could even do a play based on this book for parents.
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photo by pareerica www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, based on a fairy tale
*Sorghum cookie boy as main character
*Rating: Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas is a clever twist on the old tale–”The Gingerbread Man.” Anyone living in or visiting Arkansas will especially love this book!
Short, short summary:
A young couple in Arkansas bake a sorghum cookie boy, who runs away as soon as the oven door is opened. As Cookie Boy rolls down Highway 71 in Arkansas, he meets a deer, whom he tries to convince not to eat him because the people who made him used salt instead of sugar. Little does Cookie Boy realize that deer love salt, but he manages to get away anyway. Along his adventures, Cookie Boy winds up in places such as Clinton at the Chuckwagon Races, the Old State House in Little Rock, and Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs. He meets many animals who want to eat him, but he manages to escape until. . .well, you’ll just have to read Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas to find out!So, what do I do with this book?
1. Make sorghum cookies with your children or your students. (Be careful if you make them in the shape of a cookie boy!) When you cook with children, they are learning/working on many skills: following directions, reading comprehension, and measurement. You can even ask children to double the recipe to work computations. And learning to bake or cook is a great life skill for anyone! Here are some different sorghum cookie recipe choices from Cooks.com.
2. One thing I love about this book, especially for Arkansas parents and teachers, is the appendix in the back. Cheryl Davis has included all the places she mentions in the book that Cookie Boy visits such as Elkhorn Tavern, Mount Magazine State Park, and the Cossatot River–she gives a description and provides a beautiful photograph. The appendix is like a guide book through Arkansas. Go through this appendix with your students. Take a survey to see how many places your students or children have visited. Plan a field trip to a place mentioned that is fairly close to your school or home. Let older students do further research on each place.
3. Compare and contrast Cookie Boy Travelin’ Arkansas to the original tale of “The Gingerbread Man.” You can use a Venn diagram for your comparisons. Children can also vote on which one of the stories they like better. Older children can write a paragraph about their choice and give reasons to support it. Younger students can fold a piece of paper in half and draw an illustration on each half of a scene from the stories.
There’s still a chance to win Dr. Caron Goode’s book Kids Who See Ghosts by leaving a comment on yesterday’s post (Wednesday, May 26). I also interviewed Dr. Goode, and her answers provide great tips for parents! One winner will be chosen on Friday from all the comments. Thanks!
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photo by gamene www.flickr.com
*Picture book (based on fairy tales) for preschoolers to first graders
*Big Bad Little Good Wolf as main character
*Rating: Good Little Wolf has few words, but the illustrations tell us all about this little wolf! Very cute.
Short, short summary:
The Big Bad Wolf is here to tell you, the reader, that he is actually a Good Little Wolf. He explains that he keeps his friends cozy in the winter, that he is very helpful and provides a place (in his mouth) for his friends to stay dry when it rains, and that he only likes to dress up like Little Red Riding Hood to help tell bedtime stories to his friends. In the spirit of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, Good Little Wolf by Kristina Andres lets us know the wolf’s true character.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. If you are reading this book to a classroom of children, then do a K-W-L chart with them about the Big Bad Wolf or wolves in fairy tales. What do they know about the Big Bad Wolf? What do they wonder? After reading Good Little Wolf, what do they learn about this storybook character? If you are at home reading this book, discuss what your child believes about the Big Bad Wolf before reading the book together.
2. In this book, the illustrations tell the WHOLE story. Children can learn from reading the Good Little Wolf that in picture books, the illustrations are as important as the text. The text and illustrations work together to tell a story. They can also learn that if they are having trouble reading a page, the illustrations might give them a clue as to what the text says. Sometimes, we assume that children already know that they need to carefully look at illustrations and the importance of the pictures, but this is often not true unless we draw their attention to it.
3. On a T-chart, ask students to put their opinion of the wolf–do they think he is a Good Little Wolf or a Big Bad Wolf? To make this an interactive activity, give students a post-it note, ask them to write their name on it, and then put it on the chart under their opinion. When all children have voted, discuss the chart and why students believe what they do about the wolf. If you are reading this book at home, you can discuss with your child after reading this book (and maybe The True Story of the Three Little Pigs too) about what she thinks about the wolf. Ask your child to defend her opinion with specific events from the books.
Okay, so I have to ask–what do you think about the Big Bad Wolf? Is he just misunderstood?
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By: Rae,
on 9/5/2008
So, I've decided to post a story I wrote a few years back. I haven't really found a "home" for it, so, I decided to post it on here. I love reading fairy tales where the author either has modernized the tale or put a twist to it. Off the top of my head, I can name Ella Enchanted as an example (Cinderella with a twist). So, a few years ago, I decided to try my hand at modernizing and twisting a fairy tale. Clearly, from the title alone, you can see what tale I've twisted.
Seriously, you're not going to believe what happened to me the other day! So, my mom tells me to deliver some homemade soup to my grandmother, who is supposed to be sick. I’m all like, “Aw, Mom! My favorite show is on.” What’s up with that? The fact that my grandmother lives so far away makes things worse. Okay, so she only lives a block away, but that’s still a long way to walk! Anyway, Mom isn’t hearing any of my excuses, so I still have to go. Once again, she gives me her favorite speech about the dangers of talking to strangers, yada, yada, yada.
“Things are a lot different now than they were in my day.” Well yeah, that was way back then. I mean, come on, my mom is 34; that’s old! I start to tell her that, at 14, I’m not a little girl anymore, but I know she won’t listen. I figure, why waste my breath?
Of course, I’m upset, so instead of rushing, I take my sweet little time. All of a sudden, I feel this presence behind me. I turn around and see none other than Christopher T. Wolfe, my brother’s best friend, as fine as he can be. I’ve had this major crush on him since forever! Anyway, he’s cruisin’ down the street in the new Ford Mustang convertible he got for his 16th birthday. I’ve convinced myself that he’s going to pass me by, when, to my surprise, he pulls up right next to me.
“What’s up Little Redd? Where ya going?” He asks. By now, my heart is beating so fast, I’m sure it’s about to explode.
“Uh, hey Wolfe. Um, I’m just, uh, going to my Nana’s house to, uh, drop this off. You driving now?” Duh! I can’t believe I sound dumb and babyish at the same time. At this rate, I’ll never get Wolfe to ask me to be his one and only.
“Yeah, you like my ride?”
Uh huh, but not as much as I like you. Of course, I don’t tell him this. Instead, I say, “Um, yeah, it’s cool.”“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”
Now, I know Mom would kill me if I got in the car - something about avoiding boys with fast cars - but, hey, it’s her fault I have to walk. So, I get in.
Hallelujah, I’m in heaven now!
Wolfe drops me off in front of Nana’s house and pulls off. He says he has to pick his girlfriend up from work. Ouch!
My poor heart is breaking, so the fact that Nana’s door is unlocked doesn’t register in my mind. I open the door and say, “Nana, I’ve got some soup.” There is no answer, so I go to the family room. I see Nana lying on her couch, completely under the covers. I’m about to hug her when I notice her feet. Man, those dogs are big! Nana moves and I see her ears. Man, those ears are huge. Then I see the arms. Ewww, they’re so hairy! This is definitely not my Nana. I grab a broomstick and strike the figure over and over again. It growls and jumps up. I scream. It’s a big hairy beast! Gross!
“What are you doing in Nana’s house? What have you done to her?” I chase the beast around.“Ashlee Nicole Redd, you better stop it right now!”
Uh oh.
“Why are you beating Mr. Wolfe like that?” Nana asks.I gulp, look from Mr. Hairy Man to Nana, and say, “Mr. Wolfe?” Oh man! Please do not tell me that this man is related to my one true love! It’s just a coincidence...isn’t it?
Anyway, it’s been three weeks and I’m still in a lot of trouble. I practically beat up Nana’s new boyfriend, who happens to be Wolfe’s grandfather. I'm grounded til further notice, I'm missing my favorite show and, to top it all off, Wolfe laughs at me every time he sees me.
So, that’s my story. Of course, I’m clearly the victim here. I totally blame Mom. If she hadn’t sent me, none of this would have ever happened!
© 2005 Raenice Weakly
By: Kate Hall,
on 10/13/2007
Poison Apples is the story of three girls, Reena, Alice, and Molly who each end up at a posh boarding school on the east coast after their fathers remarry evil women. They form a club and decide to get revenge on their evil stepmothers for ruining their lives. This is a cute, if not entirely unpredictable story. I disliked the cover (it was very VERY red) but it was a good book. It is kind of fractured fairy taleish, but not entirely because they don’t conform to the typical themes of fairy tales. From the ending, I think this is going to turn into a series, but we’ll see.
By: Linda S. Wingerter,
on 2/16/2007
We spent three hours talking about folklore in my children’s literature class yesterday. We discussed trickster tales and pourquoi tales, cumulative tales and beast tales, noodlehead tales and wonder tales. I came home and decided that this Friday I’d have a little fun with fairy tales at Blue Rose Girls.
FALLING FOR RAPUNZEL
Written by Leah Wilcox
Illustrated by Lydia Monks
Published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons
(2003)
FALLING FOR RAPUNZEL is a fractured fairy tale. It’s written in verse and is sure to tickle the funny bones of young children.
In this humorous version of the longhaired maiden who is held captive in a tower, the prince rides by on his steed one day and hears Rapunzel whining because she’s having a “bad hair day.” He thinks she’s crying to be set free. He calls to her to throw down her hair so he can come to her rescue. Alas! Rapunzel is too far away and cannot hear the prince clearly. This is when the fun begins.
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, throw down your hair!”
She thought he said,
“Your underwear.”
In the illustration we see the prince with a pair of pink bloomers hanging over his face…and dainty unmentionables of other colors on his horse’s head and the ground.
The prince calls to Rapunzel again:
“No, Rapunzel.
Your curly locks!’
Rapunzel threw down dirty socks.
And so it goes.
The prince calls for her “silky tresses!” Instead he gets her silky dresses.
He calls for a rope—but gets bopped on the bean with a cantaloupe.
He tries for twine—but gets laden down with her “blue-ribbon swine.”
At this point, we see the prince grimacing. He has just about lost patience…but is doing his best to keep his temper under control.
He growled up, “Do you have a ladder?”
Rapunzel tossed out pancake batter.
The prince, dripping with batter, calls up to Rapunzel one last time. He tells her to let down her braid. Now…you know she’s not going to get it right. Not this ditzy fairy tale female. No, the braid stays up in the tower…it’s the maid she pushes out the window. The maid falls on top of the prince and knocks him unconscious. The maid revives the royal fellow. And guess what happens? The prince and the maid take an immediate shine to one another. The next time Rapunzel looks out her tower window she sees the prince and her servant riding off in the distance and thinks she finally must have “heard him right.” She is unfazed by the situation. She’s not angry that the prince has “fallen” for her maid.
In the last two-page spread, Rapunzel is shown outside on the grass greeting her blue-ribbon swine at the foot of the tower...whose back door is swung wide-open.
Rapunzel muses:
“I hope if they come back for more, they’ll think to knock on my back door.”
This book by Leah Wilcox is great to read aloud to young children who are familiar with the traditional version of the tale. It has a bouncy rhythm and nearly all the pairs of end rhymes work perfectly. Lydia Monks's brightly colored illustrations done in acrylic paints, paper montage, and colored pencils add to the fun of this fractured fairy tale.
More than a decade ago, I began writing a collection of humorous fairy tale poems entitled Excerpts from the Fairy Tale Files. I’ve never submitted the manuscript to a publisher—but I’ll share one of the poems with you today.
HAPPY POETRY FRIDAY!
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This does look great!