An Undone Fairy Tale

You and your children will LOVE this book. I gave it to my 4 year old nephew for Christmas. In one week it has become his favorite and he is taking it to pre-school to share. It is very funny and creative -- one of the best children's books I've seen. Another plus -- it is new and your recipient is unlikely to have it already.

This book was very interesting and humerous because there were two stories going on in the book at the same time! I love the plot of the story because you can catch onto it very quickly! I also enjoyed the parts where it asked you to not turn the page. That added tension to the read. This book made me burst into laughter right from the outset because the title "An undone fairy tale" is just making me wonder, what a wierd, but interesting book. This book was better than my alien birthday card I got from America!!!

This book is hilarious! It kept all of my children laughing for hours. I have three kids, ages 2 1/2, 5, and 11. My oldest is a bit slow, due to some learning disabilities, but my youngest is smart as a whip. The middle one is of average intelligence but has a terrific sense of humor. He loved it the most, though they all ask me to read it every night. They giggle uncontrollably every time I turn the page and my oldest is always asking, "why Med mad?" (The character's name is Ned but she can't pronounce her N's yet.) A perfect book for kids of all ages, and totally entertaining for parents too! It's funny, clever, and easy to read over and over again. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a children's book this much.

"An ordinary fairy tale (pie-baking princess locked in tall tower, knights must perform feats to win her hand from fat stepfather king) is made extraordinary as Ned, the illustrator, and an unnamed narrator attempt to get readers to slow down so they can finish the pictures. Unfortunately, readers are uncooperative. What results is a comedy worthy of Monty Python fans. Sir Wilbur's first task is to slay a dragon... but Ned does not have the horses or armor ready, so he must ride a fish and wear a pink tutu--the only props available. One disaster follows another as readers refuse to follow the narrator's directions, differentiated from the text by a font change. In the final showdown the snail-riding princess, who has rescued herself, leads an army of fish-riding, banana-wielding monkeys, the king rides out to greet her with an army of pickles and the beleaguered Ned finally quits. Martin's illustrations are perfect, mixing the two simultaneous tales until their edges are indistinguishable, the spot-on renderings of Ned and the narrator's facial expressions only add to the slapstick. Tremendously clever and hysterically funny."

I picked this up in the store to read to my kids simply because I thought the cover was interesting. They loved it! It really had them laughing in ways most picturebooks haven't. The illustrations are very bright and colorful and the story of a fairy tale gone bonkers was a nice break from all the normal books I've read my kids. Definite recommend.