Porridge Please! by Laura Mucha illustrated by Marc Boutavant

STOP - do not open this book and do not share this book with your young reading companion or library group until everyone is very familiar with a couple of famous stories - Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Little Red Riding Hood. Okay so you know and the children know all of those. Now STOP again. Sit somewhere comfy and take your time. There are quite a few stories going on in this book - and you will miss them if you rush past. You need to notice every detail in every scene including of course the cover - although it might be better to look at the cover more closely AFTER you read this book because it does contain a serious spoiler!

Do you remember what happened in Can't you sleep little Bear? by Martin Waddell illustrated by Barbara Firth? In that story Big Bear is trying to read his book - he keeps getting to the interesting part and then he is interrupted. Baby Bear, in Porridge Please, has the same problem. He is reading his book when there is a knock on the door. It is Goldilocks and she has come back for a dish of delicious porridge. Baby Bear heads upstairs again and settles down with his book but there is another knock on the door. This time it is Little Red Riding Hood and she is also after a bowl of porridge. Baby Bear heads upstairs for the third time but oh no the little pigs are at the door. Will Baby Bear ever get back to his book? He is beyond exasperated when there is yet another knock on the door - but who is this? Is this Granny or is it ... ?

Baby Bear settles down with his book again, but something is worrying him. Are all his porridge eating guests okay downstairs?

Meanwhile another scene is unfolding on the side of the house. Do you remember the broken chair from the original story? Well Father Bear and Mother Bear, who seem to have missed hearing all that knocking on the door of their cottage, are busy repairing the sweet broken chair and to see how this begins and ends you need to linger over the end papers.

But wait - there's more! Keep your eye on the roof of the cottage. A stork has arrived - can you guess her plan? Oh and I do wonder about the title of the book that Baby Bear has been trying to read - it clearly is a fabulous story.

In case you’re wondering whether Bear ever did get to read that last page, you’ll have to get your own copy of their book to find out. One thing that is certain though is that young listeners will endorse the READ IT AGAIN! plea on the final endpapers.
 Red Reading Hub

I love to eat porridge especially in winter and especially in cafes where they add delicious extras. Here is a Pinterest of other picture books about porridge. 

Laura Mucha is an author and poet for both children and adults. Her writing has won multiple international awards and been featured on TV and radio. In 2024, Laura was the runner up for the Ruth Rendell Award for the author who’s had the most significant influence on literacy in the UK over the past year. Her books include Rita's Rabbit, illustrated by Hannah Peck, Dear Ugly Sisters and Celebrate! Laura lives in London. The Italian version of this book is on the shortlist for an Italian book prize called The Andersen Prize (not related to the Hans Christian Andersen Award from IBBY). 

Here is another book by Laura Mucha:

Marc Boutavant is an award-winning graphic artist, illustrator and comic book author. He has illustrated numerous children’s books, including I Am Not an Octopus and Not An Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, both written by Eoin McLaughlin, and Never Tickle a Tiger, written by Pamela Butchart. He is also the creator of the bestselling Around the World with Mouk, which has been adapted into a television series for Disney Junior UK. Marc lives in Paris.

Troll by Frances Stickley illustrated by Stefano Martinuz

"There beneath the bridge unseen,

he found is easy to be mean.

Disguised beneath the bog and bubbles,

Troll could never get in trouble.

No one even knew his name."

Anyone that comes near his lair is subject to terrible abuse by troll. 

"I'll shove those turnips up your nose." "I'll squash your bun." "I'll spit on you. That bunch of bad weeds stinks like poo."

Then one day a little white rabbit comes along. Troll tries shouting his usual insults but instead of running away the she comes closer. 

"She pointed towards her ears and shook her head. 'I cannot hear, but please repeat the things you said. I'll try to read your lips instead."

Troll feels ashamed. He no longer wants to be mean. He practices being polite and kind and then he sets off to visit all the animals that he previously treated so badly.

You can see inside this book here. And you will want to look for other versions of The Three Billy Goats Gruff or perhaps begin by reading couple of these before you share Troll.

Publisher blurb: In this funny tale, inspired by both internet trolls and The Three Billy Goats Gruff, there is a terrifying troll that lives under a bridge. Unseen, he delights in shouting nasty things to passers-by. But when a d/Deaf bunny unwittingly faces up to him, he realises that it's not so fun to say nasty things to someone's face. Can Troll finally learn to love himself and others?

Troll is on the Empathy Lab list. This is a fabulous resource which will give you some terrific titles to consider for your school library. Read more here. 

The Empathy Lab annotation says: Everyone’s scared of Troll, who revels in being mean. Then a little rabbit asks: ‘you seem so cross. Is something wrong?’ which triggers real change. Troll practices saying kinder things, including to himself. About understanding yourself before you can be kind.

Inspired by internet trolls, cloaked in anonymity, he delights in shouting mean things to passersby, hurting feelings just for fun. That's until a little deaf rabbit unknowingly crosses his path and shows concern for the Troll as he looks so cross. Finally understanding the hurt his words and actions have caused, Troll learns the errors of his ways and realises his behaviour has isolated him and caused so much harm to others. Love Reading4Kids

The Kids Book Curator explains how this book can teach children about tolls and trolling on the internet. 

Red and the City by Marie Voigt

Red sets off with her dog Woody to take a cake to grandmother. Her mother tells Red to 

"Follow the heart flowers; take care with crossing the road; stay on the path; and don't talk to strangers."

If you know the original story of Little Red Riding Hood you will anticipate that things will go wrong but this is a modern retelling with mobile phones and a city to cross not a forest but of course the big bad wolf is hovering over every scene.

As with all good fairy tales there is a happy ending but it is very different from the one you will remember from the traditional tale.

This would be a fabulous book to share with a group of older children because you could discuss consumerism. If you collect fractured fairy tales this book is a must add to your collection. The graphic black and white illustrations with spots of red are very appealing. This debut picture book was first published in 2018 and was short listed for the Klaus Flugge Prize in 2019. Here is the web site for Marie Voigt.

The colour palette of greys, black and white is so dystopian and the effect is stunning. It isn’t scary, but like a fairy-tale, there is a hint of darkness at the edges. Little Red, in her bright coat, is in danger of being lost to the enormity of the city.  Book Murmuration

Thea's tree by Alison Jackson illustrated by Janet Pedersen

 

Ms Rankin sets her students a free choice science project. Thea Teawinkle loves science. She finds a purple seed and decides to plant it in her garden in Topeka, Kansas. I have discovered (remember I am in Australia) that Topeka is the capital city of Kansas.

Thea is puzzled about the plant that emerges from her seed so she writes a letter to her teacher. Ms Rankin cannot help but she suggests Thea might contact an expert at the Topeka Horticultural Society.  This is the beginning of a series of letters written to all sorts of "experts" none of whom have an answer about this mysterious seed which is now a huge tree.

She writes to:

Bertram Beaman a botanist at the Horticultural Society; Anna Applebaum an arborealist at the Arboretum; Carl Capshaw curator at the Natural History Museum; Zoe Zimmerman zoologist at the Topeka Zoo; Ada Adler at the First Bank of Kansas. Look again at this list - every expert has an alliterative name and you might want to think about why she wrote to the zoo and the bank!

Odd things appear under the tree which grows taller than her house. She finds a golden egg, three gold pieces and a singing harp.  Can you guess what is going on?  Does it help if I describe the seed as a purple bean?

The discovery of this truly special book emphasises to me the absolute importance of libraries - public libraries and school libraries.  Thea's tree was published in 2008 so it is now out of print. Luckily I found a copy in a very well stocked school library. 

Save a spot on the shelves for this one  Kirkus

The best thing about Thea's Tree is the disconnect between Thea's experiences and the adult determination to categorize them properly, as everyone from botanists to bank managers weighs in on the plant and associated findings. Book Aunt

I do enjoy picture books written as letters. This form is called epistolary. I also love this book as a way to explore scientific methods and character voices. The illustrations are also perfect. Here are some other examples (spoiler alert) with Fairy Tale references:

One more thing - I am smiling an enormous smile of delight at the discovery that Janet Pedersen is the illustrator of one of my ALL time most favourite picture books - A friend like Ed.

Somebody and the three Blairs by Marilyn Tolhurst illustrated by Simone Abel

 Tuesday Treasure

I am smiling a huge smile just like Somebody, the little bear, you can see above. I adore this book and so after a couple of false starts I have finally tracked down a used copy and it arrived today! Yes, very sadly, this book is long out of print. It was first published in 1990.  Even though today is not Tuesday I just couldn't wait to share this treasure with you.

Begin with the title - Somebody - who is this somebody? Can you see a bear on the front cover? There are also three chairs and one is broken. Tap out a pattern of sounds - Gold-i-locks and the three bears versus Some-bod-y and the three Blairs.

Now open to the first page:

"One Sunday morning, in a small house on the edge of town, a family was sitting down to breakfast.
There was Mr Blair, Mrs Blair and Baby Blair."

The family decide to take a walk to the park and Baby Bear suggests they should "Feeda ducks."

"While they were gone, Somebody came to the door. Somebody knocked and, when no one answered, Somebody tiptoed in."

Notice all those capital letters - Somebody!  At this point your audience of young listeners will be laughing in anticipation. Clearly Somebody is going to taste the breakfast. It is not porridge in this modern house. Somebody finds a box and dips in his paw but it is too dry (cereal from the box), Somebody finds a bowl with milk but it is too noisy (rice bubbles). Of course one food is just right (a jar of honey). Now Somebody moves into  the lounge room to try out those chairs. One is hard, one is wobbly (a rocking chair) and one is just right - the baby high chair.

Somebody is keen to play a game so he heads into the kitchen. The tins of food are too noisy, the inside of the 'fridge is too cold but a game with flour, eggs and sugar is just right.

It is time to head upstairs to the bathroom. This rain is too hot (the showers), this pond is too small (see below for the illustration) but this stream (the sink) is just right.

Oh and notice the tap is still running. Somebody is tired so he heads into the bedroom to try out all the beds and of course falls fast asleep.

The Blairs arrive home.  You will love the voice of Baby Bear:
Honey jar "all gone".
His chair "bust".
Cake making in the kitchen "Naughty!"

"Somebody phone the police!' said Mr Blair.
'Somebody call the Fire Brigade!' said Mrs Blair.
'Somebody gone home,' said Baby Bear.
'Bye, bye. Come and play tomorrow."

Somebody and the Three Blairs works really well as a read aloud. I do hope you can track down a copy somewhere. I did find this video of the whole book. I think if I was using this I would turn off the sound and read the book myself with the images on a large screen. Read the Kirkus Star review.

The up-to-date details will provoke chuckles, as when Somebody holds a flexible shower nozzle over his head and realizes, ``This rain is too hot.'' This book, however, is just right. Publishers Weekly

You could compare Somebody and the Three Blairs with Goldilocks and just one Bear. Now take a look at this Pinterest with many other versions of this famous fairy tale. Reading a number of these versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears would be a brilliant mini unit with a young class.

With an older group you might like to also look at Me and You by Anthony Browne which gives another perspective on this famous tale.

I am so Clever by Mario Ramos

"One gloriously sunny morning, the wolf came upon 

Little Red Riding Hood."

The wolf warns Little Red there are dangers in the woods. Ferocious creatures such as sharks! Little Red is not fooled. The wolf, though, thinks he has tricked the little girl and so he leaves her collecting flowers convinced he will soon be enjoying a meal of Grandmother with a little berry for dessert.

Wolf enters grandma's house (she is not home) and he puts on her pink frilly nightie.  He notices his own paw prints near the door and heads outside to clear them away. The door slams behind him and he left outside. Wolf is so embarrassed he heads off into the forest. He has no idea he is about to meet Robin Hood, the Three Bears, the Three Little pigs and even all Seven Dwarfs (who are heading off for a swim). Everyone mistakes him for the kindly grandmother.  Wolf is almost speechless with rage. He twists and turns trying to take off the nightie. Eventually Little Red Riding Hood shows up. She helps the now broken wolf but is this really the end?

I haven't seen the first two titles about Wolf but I imagine they are just as hilarious as this new installment -  I am so Clever.

Last week I was able to look through the shelves in the library of my friend and borrow some of her newest books. Australian Standing Orders offer a subscription of International titles. This book comes from Gecko Press.  We are so lucky they take the trouble to source fabulous books as explained here:

Gecko Press is an independent publisher, based in Wellington. Every year Gecko Press translates and publishes a small number of carefully-selected children’s books by some of the world’s best writers and illustrators, from countries including France, Germany, Japan, Poland and the Netherlands.

My friend from Kinderbookboard has collected over sixty other versions of Little Red Riding Hood for you to explore and compare. Make sure you add this title to your 'to read' list. It would be perfect to share in a class or library session and even better if you can share all three titles.  Mario Ramos has a wonderful web site. He wrote and illustrated thirty books but sadly only the titles featured here seem to have been translated into English. I wonder if he had plans for more books about our hapless wolf. Sadly Mario died in 2012.

Author/illustrator Mario Ramos 1958-2012 

Image Gecko Press https://geckopress.com/author_illustrator/mario-ramos/

The Tough Princess by Martin Waddell illustrated by Patrick Benson

Tuesday Treasure

"Once upon a time ..."

A conventional fairy tale opening for a non conventional tale.

The king and queen no longer live in a castle. Fighting wars and losing badly means they are reduced to living in a caravan in the deep dark wood. When their baby daughter is born they decide she can rescue them. Of course they did expect the baby would be a boy!

Her mother explains: "She will grow up to be a beautiful princess. I will annoy a bad fairy and get the Princess into bother, and then a handsome prince will rescue her, and we'll all go off and live in his castle."

Naturally Princess Rosamund has a different plan and it involves a lot of biffing. She borrows a bike complete with decorative dice, stirrup pedals and a lantern and heads off to find a prince. "Rosamund had lots of adventures .... She did all the things a heroine ought to do, but she didn't catch her prince." Look closely to see these things on the cover illustration by Patrick Benson. You may know his work already from the famous book Owl Babies also by Martin Waddell.

Rosamund returns home. She looks around the forest and in a perfect twist she sees this sign

THIS WAY TO THE ENCHANTED PRINCE

and they "lived happily ever after, too."

I have loved this book for a long time and so I decided to purchase a used copy for myself because, yes you have already guessed, this book is sadly out of print. Tonight I made a startling discovery - my copy has been signed by Martin Waddell himself!

Another modern fairy tale about an assertive female, achiever, in this case leavened with the sort of ebullient good humor that sensibly whisks problems away as fast as they arise. Kirkus

In the late 1990s I completed some post graduate study in Children's Literature. For the final subject we were expected to complete a mini thesis (10,000-15,000 words) and this book - The Tough Princess was my inspiration. My topic - The Modern Princess Tale. I have surprised myself that I had not previously explored this book on my blog.

Some of the books referred to in my mini thesis:

• Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole
• The Worm and the Toffee Nosed Princess by Eva Ibbotson
• The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
• Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen
• The Karate Princess by Jeremy Strong
• The Princess who hated it by Robin Klein
• Snow White in New York by Fiona French

Tales from a tall forest by Shaun Micallef

“As a kid, I found the peripheral characters in these stories slightly more interesting. Like the old woman who built the confectionery house. How would she get planning permission for that?” Shaun demands, eyebrow cocked askance.

Shaun Micallef is able to seamlessly weave so many famous fairy tales into the first story in this collection. We meet two builders who are excited by a new project commissioned by an old crone called Baba Yaga to build :

"a sweet little cottage with liquorice-allsort stones, candy-cane door frames and a rooftop of chocolate pieces all grouted together with marzipan."

Any astute reader will know at some point we are going to meet Hansel and Gretel and that there may even be a trail of breadcrumbs but before we reach these scenes the focus shifts to the castle where the new Queen is practicing her smiles and seething with rage over the natural beauty of her step daughter.  The Queen summons the Royal Woodsman to chaperone Princess Mathilda into the forest.  The puzzling thing is the Queen "also wanted her stepdaughter's heart cut out and bought back in a jewellery box." Naturally the Woodsman cannot go through with this plan and luckily, as chance would have it, along comes a terrified little girl in a red poncho.  Her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf.  They hurry off to the grandmother's cottage, the Woodsman cuts open the belly of the sleeping wolf and releases the grateful grandmother and takes out the wolf's heart.  The wolf is still alive (yes this is amazing) and really mad, especially now he has no heart. The panicked group follow a trail of breadcrumbs but end up at the Candy Slaughterhouse. The wolf arrives and devours Baba Yaga. The children and Tiny Poncho Girl deliver the beautiful Princess to the dwarves' house where she will be safe but her bed is occupied by that girl with the curly blonde-hair.  Eventually the Princess is able to return home, the wolf is killed in an accident and the Woodsman receives a knighthood. AND of course they all live happily ever after.

There are three main stories in this collection book-ended with Begin the Beginning and Ending the End.  The first story The Wolf and the Princess and the Trail of Crumbs as I described above was my favourite.  Many reviewers list Tales from a tall forest as a Young Adult title but I think older Primary students would enjoy this book. The only topic that is mentioned that might be more suitable for older students are the consequences that come from first cousins who marry and have children. Before reading the second story The Fisherman and the monkey and the Three wishes I recommend you revisit The Fisherman and his wife. 

This whole book is a thorough romp but there is one poignant moment which lingers with me.  When the Woodsman explains why the Queen is jealous and wants Mathilda killed he tells her this is because she is beautiful.

"The Princess had never thought of herself as beautiful before and the realisation changed her forever. She lost something of her innocence that day by the pond and, in a cosmic injustice that regrettably is the stuff of life, the young Princess would never quite be as enchantingly lovely as she was before she had her enchanting loveliness pointed out to her. The witless would be quick to call that 'irony' - but it was sadder than that."

Peter Bentley is also the illustrator of Blue Sky, Yellow Kite which was a book I loved reading earlier this year.  You can read more about Tales from a tall forest here.  Since this book is Australian and published in 2017 I wonder if it might be selected the the CBCA shortlist?

In this rich and rambunctious tapestry of tales, satirist Shaun Micallef unravels the traditional fairy story and nimbly weaves your favourite characters into new and surprising adventures. 
Better Reading

Princess Smartypants and the missing princes by Babette Cole

I first read Princess Smartypants thirty years ago.  I loved it and gave a copy to a newly born young relative much to the consternation of her conservative grandfather.

I have always had the full set of Princess Smartypants books in our library along with so many other terrific titles by Babette Cole.

Sadly, just recently, we lost the wonderful Babette Cole.  Fortunately this new book was already published.  The format here is a junior novel with 130 pages and 8 chapters.

In this latest installment (more will follow this year) Princess Smartypants has a problem. Her friends Snowy (Snow White), Cindy (Cinderella) and Punzie (Rapunzel) arrive in a carriage.  They need a venue for their engagement party.  "Unfortunately, the princes (the girls were planning to marry) had very troublesome mothers who all wanted the official engagement party to be held at their own particular palace. The girls had decided to take the matter into their own hands..."

Princess Smartypants is given the guest list but one name is missing - Araminta Allspell.  Think of Sleeping Beauty and the consequences of rejecting the bad fairy.  On the night of the party the three princes fail to arrive. Princess Smartypants realises they have been taken by Araminta and so the chase begins.  Of course it all ends happily ever after!  Well sort of.

This is an easy reading little chapter book filled with recognizable fairy tale characters and madcap situations.  Good will triumph but only because Princess Smartypants uses her brain and problem solving power.

You might also enjoy The Tough Princess by Martin Waddell, The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry and The Pea and the Princess by Mini Grey.

How the library (not the Prince) saved Rapunzel by Wendy Meddour illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown

How the library (not the Prince) saved Rapunzel looked like the perfect book to begin our library year so I bought it home to read tonight. Told in rhyme Rapunzel is on the sixteenth floor on a tall apartment building. She ignores the milkman, the postman, the baker (she has a tray of delicious treats), her aunt and the Prince.

"To think,' said her aunt, 'that she's all alone, on the sixteenth floor, as thin as bone.
Rapunzel has patience. She doesn't move. 
She has nowhere to go. She has nothing to prove.
But to sit on your own all day and dream - 
well, it's not really good for one's self-esteem."

There is a problem.  Now we need a creative and co-operative solution.  The real remedy, though, is inside the letter the postman had tried to deliver.

"I've got a new job at the library."
"For along with her hair and her ravishing looks,
she loved nothing better than reading good books!"

When you read this book go back and take some time to notice all the extra and delicious details in the illustrations.  On the end papers you can see many cats enjoying the delights of the library.  Even though Rapunzel supposedly doesn't move she keeps changing her hat. The Prince arrives on his moped. I love the different faces too.  The baker is a lady and the postman wears a turban.

Here is the Prince - he is never seen again.

There is only one little problem with the rhyme for an Australian audience - moan and scone.

"So don't just wait for your prince to show.

He might turn up, but you never know.

Pop down to your library and borrow a book - 

there's SO MUCH to find out if only you look."

Here is an excellent review.

Take a popular fairy tale, modernize it and make the princess a sassy lass who refuses to let her hair down, 

and you have a nifty fairy-tale twist with a library message.

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T Smith

This is Little Red
Today she is going to be gobbled up by a lion.

This Lion.
Well that's what he thinks is going to happen ...

Every element of this picture book is perfect. Children will love the gold details on the cover, the end papers do literally book end the story beginning early in the morning and ending in the evening and of course there is the familiar story of Little Red Riding Hood with a brilliant twist.

Auntie Rose has spots!  Little Red packs a basket and sets off past the crocodiles, giraffes, monkeys, termites, gazelles, elephants, hippos and meerkats. She sits under a tree for a brief rest before continuing her journey and this is where she meets the lion.  "In the time it took for his tummy to rumble, the Very Hungry Lion cooked up a very naughty plan."

You might think you know the rest but you will be in for a surprise involving hairstyles, teeth, nighties and doughnuts.

Take a look at my review of the first Claude book by the talented Alex T Smith.

Great storytelling braided with lively color and a culturally affirming accent makes this book a real standout. 

Use your imagination by Nicola O'Byrne

It is always such fun to read a book when you know the outcome but you also know it will be funny and the baddie will be defeated.  Even the youngest child will predict the outcome of Use your imagination (But be careful what you wish for!) where we meet our two characters - Rabbit who is feeling a little bored and Wolf who has his usual wolfish motivation.  I am sure you have already guessed what this is.

"Why don't we write a story?" said Wolf. "I am a librarian, you know, and librarians know a lot about stories."

Perhaps the next page will help you recognize this story as rabbit says "What big ears you've got ... And what big eyes you've got!"  Wolf stops Rabbit thinking any further about these famous words with the repeated refrain 'Use your imagination'.  He tells rabbit to think of a topic such as a fairy tale. To think of a baddie (that's the wolf) and a hero (that's the Rabbit).  A setting (what about the forest) and now the story can begin. Luckily just in time Rabbit realizes he can use his imagination and he can change the predicable outcome of this story into something much better.

You might also enjoy Open very carefully a book with bite by the same author and Do not open this book by Michaela Muntean both of which you will find in our school library.

Inside this book there is a QR Code which allows you to access an audio version of this book.

You can see some sample pages here and I have included one below.

The line between a story they’re writing and a story they’re in is deliciously fluid. Suddenly the chase is on, and only Rabbit’s imagination can thwart the Wolf.

Urgency Emergency Big bad Wolf by Dosh Archer

"He may be a wolf,' said Doctor Glenda, 'but he is still our patient.  He only has minutes to live! Nurse Percy, can you overcome your fear of wolves and help me save him?' Nurse Percy pulled himself together. 'Good job,' said Doctor Glenda. 'Wait,' cried Nurse Percy.  'What is that noise? Where is it coming from?' It was coming from inside Wolf."

I picked up this slim hardcover beginner chapter book called Urgency Emergency Big bad Wolf without much thought.  It has big big printing so I knew I could read it quickly. Wait slow down.  I reached the pages above and realized I had missed an important clue.  I turned back and saw a little sheep sitting in the waiting room of the hospital - "someone in a red coat who was crying because she couldn't find her grandma."

Have you guess the story?  Yes it is Red Riding Hood in another guise.  This is a fabulous and funny spoof with an ending that will make you cheer.  There are others in the series too which I need to add to my shopping list.  If you need to know more about this little book click the Kirkus link below.

an amusing take on an old story and a fast-reading, 

funny choice for new readers.

Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen illustrated by Diane Stanley

About three weeks ago one class and I embarked on a journey towards the exploration of Sleeping Ugly.  Firstly we needed to talk about fairy tales - make lists of titles and characteristics.  Then we read one version of the original tale of Sleeping Beauty.  Next we watched a DVD of a storyteller retelling this famous tale using just his voice and facial expressions.  It was good to note some of the variations to the story such as the number of fairies who are invited to the famous christening.

Last week we read the first part of Sleeping Ugly and yesterday we predicted the ending, read the book right through to the end and then began work using a reader's theatre script of this funny and wise story.

"Princess Miserella was a beautiful princess if you counted her eyes and nose and mouth and all the way down to her toes.  But inside where it was hard to see she was the meanest, wickedest, and most worthless princess around."

One day Miserella becomes lost in the woods.  She meets a little old lady asleep under a tree. Miserella knows this lady is most probably a fairy in disguise. She kicks the old lady and demands to be taken home but instead the old lady takes Miserella to the home of Plain Jane.  Jane is kind and has very good manners so the fairy grants her three wishes.  Annoyingly for the reader Jane feels compelled to waste two of the wishes on the wretched Miserella.  Finally, as in the original version, everyone falls asleep until at the end of one hundred years Prince Jojo arrives.  "He saw three women asleep with spiderwebs holding them to the floor.  One of them was a beautiful princess.  Being the kind of young man who read fairy tales, Jojo knew just what to do."

I adore fractured fairy tales and this one, Sleeping Ugly, is one of my favourites.  We also have Sleeping Bobby in our library which is a fun reversal of the usual roles.  Our next book will be The Tough Princess which presents a very modern interpretation of living happily ever after.  You might like to read my post about other Princess stories and this review.

Ella's big chance : A fairy tale retold by Shirley Hughes

Yesterday I was looking for some longer picture books to show the teachers in my school.  I came across Ella's big chance.  I seem to have been hearing a lot about Shirley Hughes lately. She has written a novel called Hero on a bicycle which will arrive in my school soon.

Ella lives with her dad.  He is a tailor and they have a happy life until one day he remarries. His new wife is cruel and she has two very nasty daughters.  Have you guessed which fairy tale is retold here?

Here is a review that sums this book up perfectly :

From School Library Journal Starred Review. 

Is there room for one more "Cinderella" variant in your collection? The answer is yes if it's this charming version set in the 1920s. Ella Cinders, her father, and Buttons the doorman/delivery boy run a dress shop until the terrible day when Mr. Cinders remarries and his nasty new wife moves in with her equally nasty daughters, Ruby and Pearl. "His new wife seemed to pop up from nowhere like a sharp-eyed, expensively dressed jack-in-the box." Ella's life is misery from then on, mitigated only by the care and attention of the faithful Buttons. Her Fairy Godmother sends her off to the ball where the Duke of Arc is smitten with her, but in the end Ella chooses a different happily ever after ....

Hughes's gouache-and-pen-line illustrations exhibit her usual meticulous attention to detail, with the ball scenes inspired by Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies, and the original dress designs by important French couturiers of the period. This insightful retelling also offers a fascinating visual peek at a glamorous time. 

-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Emperor's new Clothes Horse by Tony Wilson illustrated by Sue deGennaro

Step One read the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes

Step Two read The Emperor's new Clothes Horse

Step Three read The Emperor's Underwear from the Seriously Silly stories series.

I do enjoy fairy tale parodies.  The Emperor's new Clothes horse is perfect.  The illustrations are whimsical and lively.  The twist of using a clothes horse and a horse race is a delightful innovation.

I do hope this book is short listed for the CBCA awards in 2013. It will be fun to share this romp in my library.

We have a good collection of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales in our library.

Here is an audio version of The Emperor's New Clothes. Here are lots of activities for this story. Finally here is the full text of the traditional story if you don't have your own Fairy Tale collection nearby.

Here is an image of a clothes horse which might be useful.

The true story of the 3 little pigs! by A. Wolf as told to Jon Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith

Every part of this book is a cheeky delight.  On the cover you can see a pig reading a newspaper called Daily Wolf. Our hero A. Wolf - you can call me Al -  is seen huffing and puffing and two pigs are flying through the air. The back cover is a collage of newsprint with a central illustration of the scenes of the crimes - three little houses of straw, sticks and brick.

Reading this book aloud I seem drawn to using an American accent. Al wants to set the record straight. In his version he begins the day making a birthday cake for his "dear old granny".  He runs out of sugar and so sets off to borrow a cup from his neighbor  a pig who has built his house from straw.  Al has a bad cold and  his knocking dislodges a little dust. Al has a coughing fit and the straw house falls down.  "And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig - dead as a doormat!"  Al can see no reason to leave a ham dinner lying in the straw.  "So I ate it up."  He moves on through the neighborhood still in search of that cup of sugar.  The Second Little Pig has a house made of sticks.  Once again Al is overcome with a sneezing fit "And you're not going to believe it, but this guy's house fell down just like his brother's.  When the dust cleared there was the Second Little Pig - dead as a doornail."  Al now moves onto to the last house made from brick. The Third Little Pig is home and he calls out a terrible insult aimed at Al's dear old granny.  This makes Al mad, the police arrive with the media in tow and the rest as they say is history.

You can read an excellent detailed review and see some illustrations.  Here are some questions to use with a senior primary class.  There have been many theater productions of this book and here is a television advertisement you could share with senior students.  This book might also be a fun way to show how Venn diagrams work.

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale illustrated by Nathan Hale

We have over 38,000 resources in our school library so I always have a little smile to myself when children of all ages ask “Have you read every book in this library?” I always answer truthfully and say no but I have read heaps of them. Adding to this list of books I have actually read I can now say I have read and enjoyed a graphic novel – Rapunzel’s Revenge. This is the first book in this format I have read. We don’t own many books graphic novels but our collection is growing. Recently we added a small set of Geronimo Stilton titles in graphic form and of course all the Asterix and Tin Tin adventures are perennial favourites.

As an adult reader it took me a little while to settle into the style of a graphic novel with all those capital letters, action words and little commentary boxes but by about page 50 I found myself thoroughly enjoying this wild adventure.

As a fairy tale Rapunzel is one I really like even though it is very complex. In Rapunzel's Revenge Shannon and Dean Hale flesh out all the reasons why Rapunzel is imprisoned in that tower, why she grows her hair and how romance saves the day. This is not a book for the squeamish however, some of the attacks Punzie and Jack endure are – well quite graphic!!

Just like a young reader I only worked out the identity of Jack about five pages from the end!

I thoroughly recommend Rapunzel's Revenge for any senior primary reader especially for those new to graphic novels or those who love fairy tales or even reluctant readers looking for some wild action.