Once Upon a Fairy Tale: Four Favorite Stories Retold by the Stars [With Includes Audio CD with Readings by the Celebrities]

A delightful collaboration of storytelling and artistry is presented in this collection of four classic fairy-tales (Little Red Riding Hood, The Frog Prince, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Rumplestiltskin), with a twist. The characters (animate or inanimate) tell the story each on a single page with an accompanying illustration by one of twenty-one award winning illustrators-including Anita Lobel, Jery Pinkney, Chris Raschka, and David Shannon. Little Red Riding Hood is told by the following characters: Iris Brown-Little Red Riding Hood's mother, Wolf von Big Baden-"The Big Bad Wolf", Woodcutter Gunderson-"The Woodcutter", Alberta Louise Johnson-Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, and Hannah Milner Primrose Red Brown-Little Red Riding Hood.The feature full-length CD brings the characters to life with retellings by such artists as Glenn Close, Oprah Winfrey, Kelsey Grammer, and Nicholas Cage. The CD is intended for listening enjoyment, not for read-alongs, for the text and the narration do not always match.

Over twenty well-known celebrities and an equally powerful group of illustrators step into the shoes of well-known fairy tale characters to recreate the stories from a different perspective. An audio cd accompanies Once Upon A Fairy Tale, adding performances by the celebrities to these whimsical retellings which take different approaches, such as how it feels to be kissed by a princess, and the perspective of Papa Bear who feels called on to defend his home. Good reading skills required.

Question: What do you get when you mix 21 famous celebrities with 21 award winning illustrators. Answer: The Starbright Foundation's, Once Upon A Fairy Tale. Come read and listen to the likes of Barbra Streisand, Robin Williams, Oprah, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelsey Grammer, Martha Steward, and Whoopi Goldberg as they spin an old fairy tale in a new and inventive way. Each of the four stories, The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks And The Three Bears, and Rumplestiltskin is fresh, innovative, and told in hip, kid speak language from their characters' perspectives. Artists Giselle Potter, Chris Raschka, David Shannon, J Otto Seibold, Jerry Pinkney, and many more renowned and celebrated illustrators, provide a veritable feast for the eyes as they enhance each story with color and style. Perfect for youngsters of all ages, Once Upon A Fairy Tale is a delightful and hilarious book, complete with CD, the whole family can share and enjoy together. It's great fun to read, and even more fun to listen to!

I must admit that when I got this book I was getting it more for me than for my 5 yr old daughter. I have seen what the Starbright Foundation can do and wanted to give my support. I was worried that it wouldn't hold my daughter's attention. Although she loves books she can be very picky. But as soon as we started to listen to the stories we both could not put the book away! The stories have been enhanced and you get to know what the characters in the stories are like and what they are thinking. Of course, my daughter's personal favorite is Wolf von Big Baden brilliantly performed by Robin Williams. Although the stories are retold in present day jargon it does not diminish the character of the fairy tales. Highly recommended for book lovers of any age!!

A really creative and enjoyable book to read. The pictures are truly lovely and the stories are sweet and funny and well written with fun new twists and turns that respect and honor the original fairy tales. My kids really get a kick out of listening to the CD in the car (the stars performances are great.) I'm giving it to many friends for Christmas because not only is it a beautiful book, sales support Starbright, a great charity that helps sick kids in hospitals. I have Starbright's "Emperor's New Clothes" too, and I think this book is even better. It seems a little more age-appropriate, and the format with four short stories makes for better bedtime story reading. Hope they do another book next year!