Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude

So here I am wondering what to read to my jaded fifth graders. They don't go in for the ultra serious, they yawn through the books beloved of second and third graders. They groan when I mention poetry or nonfiction. And then this book falls into my lap. One read through and I'm hooked--and so is my fifth grade audience! Kevin O'Malley has brilliantly joined artistic forces with Carol Heyer and Scott Goto to create a book that is a commentary on story telling, the battle of the sexes, and a great graphic novel picture book yarn! The premise of this tale is easy to absorb; two characters, a boy and a girl (probably classmates at school) are telling the readers their own made up fairy tale. Each takes a turn at the story, and offers commentary on their partner's part of the tale. The girl starts off with a flowery story of a princess and her ponies and the giant that comes and steals the ponies away. No prince seems up to the challenge. At this point, our male narrator has become heartily sick of the way the story is being told and takes over the narrative. No prince may be up to beating the giant, but a motorcycle-riding Dude with a sword just might be able to win the day. The boy continues on with his tale of action and adventure and finishes off the tale--leaving the princess doing nothing but spinning gold thread. The female narrator has her own idea of how the story should end, and it takes some work for the two to come together on an ending that satisfies them both and delights listeners. The narrative is broken into actual story text, and dialog bubbles, combining traditional picture book style with graphic novel sensibilities. This book will most likely appeal to readers already familiar with comics and graphic novels and who will be delighted to find a picture book in the same format. While this break up of text can be challenging to read aloud, older readers will have no problem following the story on their own. But the text is hardly the whole story. The pictures are what make this book so delightful, and hysterical. A veteran artist and illustrator of over 25 children's books, Kevin O'Malley's flair is found in the cartoon style boy and girl that speak in dialog bubbles that appear throughout the main fairy tale, offering extra commentary. Mr. O'Malley's characters speak directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall and pulling the readers/listeners into the story crafting experience. Carol Heyer is an award winning fantasy artist who has illustrated several fairy tale books for children and her talent shines through in gorgeous romanticized images of a lovely princess and her ponies. Everything is in royal hues shaded to pinks and purples. The pictures are lovely, but very "girl" and extremely saccharine--which the readers will figure out fast enough. The menacing giant doesn't look all that mean or foreboding, and the princess inhabits that "magical fairyland" quality that would be at home in most "girl-c

A boy and girl have to make a fairy tale. The couldn't agree on the fairy tale. Their agruments about the story line made their fairy tale hilarious. You will bust a gut laughing! We adored the characters' dramatic voices. We also enjoyed the illustrations. Children who like fairy tales and like to get their own way will treasure this book. GO GET THIS BOOK NOW or miss out on a FANTASTIC BOOK! Blue Group at Norco K-3

A girlie girl and a macho boy had to write a fairy tale together for a school project. They couldn't decide what fairy tale to tell, so they just made one up. They each used their own voice and own personality. The result was a hilarious fairy tale. There were many things that we treasured in this book. We particularly liked the characters'strong personalities and the illustrations. We recommed this book to children who like fractured fairy tales like Shrek and The Wolf Who Cried Boy. Red group at Norco K-3

This is my first review, but my sons (5- and 3-yrs old) are such big fans of this book that I felt compelled to share. The unconventional format in which this fairy tale type story is told, with the competing boy and girl narrators, coupled with the variety of illustation styles to complement who is narrating at the time make this a favorite bedtime book. Also the way it is written makes it fun for me to read, which is good, seeing as I've read so many times. All around a FUN, FUN book to share with your kids.

I am an elementary school librarian and read this book to sophisticated sixth graders. They laughed out loud, and demanded an immediate second reading. The story is told in two alternating voices, and with each turn one story teller tries to trump the other. The illustrations are eye-popping and dazzling. We followed the read-aloud, with a stab at our own creation by alternating boy and girl voices. Our story ended with a pop star performing at the Oscars wearing a designer dress laced with itching powder. If you are a librarian, you will want multiple copies for your collection. If you are a classroom teacher, you will want one to stimulate storytelling. And, if you have a reluctant reader, s/he will gobble this one up.