Once Upon a Time, the End

by Geoffrey Kloske, Barry Blitt (Illustrator)

Once upon a time
there was a grown-up
looking for a book
with very short bedtime stories
for a kid who wouldn't go to sleep.
So the grown-up picked up this book
and read this flap
and took the book home
and read it out loud
and they both laughed
and fell fast asleep
fast.
Just like you.
The end.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories

34 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2005

Reviews

[Mandy J. Hoffman]

I don't know who will enjoy this more? The kids or the parents! A book of many fairy tales all cut down in size due to a little boy not going to sleep! Fun for kids, even more fun for parents to read!

[Sylvia]

Huahahhaa!!! buku yang sangat kreatif! dan lucu.. :D

Jadi ada seorang ayah yang capeeekk tenan abis pulang kantor kali ye? Sebelum tidur anaknya selalu minta dibacain buku cerita. Nah, secara malam itu si ayah lagi capek-capeknya, dia bacainlah cerita dengan banyak korting disana-sini. Walhasil, cerita cepet kelar, dan si anak (semoga) bisa cepet tidur.

Mo denger salah satunya? Ini tentang putri yang nggak bisa tidur krn ada kacang di kasurnya (tau kan cerita ini?)

Princess Pea

Every young girl wanted to marry the prince.
To find a princess, the prince's mother put a pea under the mattress to see how each would sleep
They all sleep soundly, except one--she was so sensitive, she had not slept well.
And so she married the prince

Is there a pea under your bed?
Then what's your excuse?
Go to bed

Huahahaha! Ini versi desperado kalo dah ngantuk berat :D Ngaku deh, pasti pernah melakukan hal ini kan? Mengkorting cerita supaya cepet kelar? Secara anak-anak nggak kenal yang namanya to be continued :p Well, I did.

Tau cerita The Wizard of Oz? Buku itu tebeeell tenan! Pake gambar yang menarik pula sehingga harus diliat satu persatu. Untungnya cerita itu dalam bahasa Inggris, jadi yang didongengin nggak ngikut baca, jadi kalo gw korting kata-katanya nggak ada yang ngeh. Paling pertanyaannya: "kok udah dibalik aja? Kan tulisannya banyak." *teler*

Anyway, back to the story, karena si anak nggak mau tidur-tidur juga, si ayah akhirnya ngarang riddle nya sendiri:

Hey Diddle Diddle

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
If you don't fall asleep,
I'll run screaming from the room

--

Riddle One

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To go to sleep

--

Riddle Two

Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Bed.
Bed who?
Bedder go to sleep.

:D

[Tricia]

What parent hasn't skipped over words or lines or paragraphs when reading aloud at bedtime? If that's you, you're sure to get a kick out of this book. Parts of it required a certain cultural literacy (that is, familiarity with the original stories) to fully appreciate the humor, and my boys might not all have the sufficient level, but they enjoyed the book thoroughly. The irony was not lost on me that they insisted on another book after we finished this one (The Retired Kid showed up as we were finishing) but I think it was lost on 1 or 2 of them!

[eRin]

An exhausted dad is trying to get his child to sleep--only the kid keeps begging for "one more story." So dad breaks down popular fairy tales and gives a very condensed version of each--includes "Chicken Little," "The Two Pigs," Small Girl, Red Hood," and lots more. At the end he resorts to nursery rhymes and jokes. Each story gets shorter and shorter as the dad grows more frustrated.

Super adorable book! I laughed the entire way through and absolutely loved it. The abbreviated stories are amusing and the concept very original and well-executed. Fun!!

[Dolly]

This is a very humorous abridged retelling of several different fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Each story is super-condensed because the father is trying harder and harder to get his not-very-sleepy child to sleep by telling story after story after story.

The format of the book is very entertaining and the illustrations are hilarious. I loved the italicized dialogue with the reader such as, "The End. Why are you still awake?" The fact that our girls already knew the stories made the condensed versions even funnier. We really enjoyed reading this story together.

[Megan B]

I got a kick out of this book. It's a tired dad's version of a WHOLE bunch of super-condensed fairy tales and nursery rhymes. I was terribly amused by the whole concept and thought it was very well done. Oh, there is one page where the David and Goliath story is told in about two sentences, something about them fighting one night over who should be king? Er? Kind of stretch, but it still works, I guess :)

[Librarian40]

Very funny abbreviations of popular fairy tales, fables and even some riddles.

Possibly funnier for grownups who more reliably know the original stories, but young kids still enjoy it. Especially since it's so easy to read with great feeling.

My kid's school librarian teaches 3rd graders how to synopsize using this book, which I consider brilliant.

[Mr. Potato-Head_76]

This book is something that you would want to read if you need to read something in short notice and want to get it done FAST. This book will do that for you. Very handy for school projects in a hurry.

[Emily]

Borrowed this one from the library for my kids, and loved every minute of it! So funny! I loved the way they were able to tell so many bedtime stories. The use of verse cracked me up. It got the kids involved in the telling of the story a little bit too.

[Lorna]

Amusingly abridged fairytales told by an exasperated father dealing with the request of just "one more story". Funny to read, though the audience should probably know the full stories in order to appreciate the humor found in the shorter versions.

[Matthew]

I totally get this book, from the father's point of view. And I'm not even a father. How many stories does it take to exhaust a child? Too many for the father to stay awake for in some cases. Great book. Very funny. Very satisfying.

[Nickcole]

Rating: 5+

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I got this book at the library and the title is what really caught my eye. Once my daughter and I read it, we couldn't stop laughing and had to read it again. The story is a fun ride for children and adults that you'll want to read over and over again.

[Kathy]

I loved this book. I tell bedtime stories like these sometimes. Short & sweet and straight to the point!

[Christian]

This one is hilarious!

[Brenda]

This is a very humorous take on all the nursery rhymes and fairy tales you read to your kids. Fun Stuff.

[Angela]

very funny story

[Stephanie K]

This book is hilarious!

[Lenna]

A laugh on every page. Now go to SLEEP!

[Amy]

So Funny!

[Melissa S Miller]

I LOVE reading this to my kids - they love all the twists to the familiar rhymes - so glad a friend recommended. For those with older kids a must buy :)

[Kya]

This. Book. Cracked. Me. Up.
Do you know how awkward it is to laugh in a library while reading a picture book? ...Okay not very... Trust me, the librarians get it.
I honestly think this book was more written for the adults that for the kids, because the voice in the story is of a parent trying to get the kid to sleep - and they won't! They get more and more fed up and the stories get weirder and weirder. The illustrations play a big part in this too! Each page has the classic story line of the blind mice, princess with her pea, jack and jill, etc - but with the spin of the characters going to bed.

[Carla]

I read this years ago and my kids didn't like it (the pictures were cute though). If it had been one single story that would have been okay, but, it just felt like a jumble of poems, stories, and nursery rhymes that had been shorten to only a few loose lines. My kids didn't like it even when they were all about just looking at the pictures. I bought it, read it once to each of them and neither one liked it enough to ever ask for it again. It sat on the kids book shelves for years. I'm going through all the books we own and sadly this one isn't a keeper.

[Mh Weyler]

How often am I guilty of not wanting to tell a long story at bedtime. These fairytales become all mixed up after a dad decides to condense them. Very funny as an adult and kids who are familiar with the stories might just catch on...

[Trent Clegg]

Talk about fractured fairy tales! Delightfully illustrated, this is much more a book for parents than kids. Anyone who's ever read, and read, and read to a child who refuses to sleep will love this book!

[Sean Stevens]

Brilliant idea with the parent streamlining famous children's stories so they can go to bed quicker! Amusing but doesn't really capitalize on what the consequences of jumbling all these texts could be. It could be very funny but this is just a children's book. I get it.

[Diane]

illustrated by Barry Blitt; shortened version of folktales all ending with sleep or bed
Clever

[Bobbi]

Clever book about a dad trying to get his child to go to sleep, but the child keeps demanding "one more story." So dad resorts to SUPER condensed versions of fairy tales, etc. Very well done!

[Karla]

Kids loved this
A must have

Read originals first
Compare the two

[Cheryl]

Aww....
Much better than Go the F to Sleep.
Really points out the dubious value of anthologies.
openlibrary

[Jasmine]

This really cracked me up, definitely recommend it to parents.