A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale

by Penny Parker Klostermann, Ben Mantle (Illustrator)

From the creators of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight comes a fun fractured fairy tale about an aspiring chef who mistakenly turns story ingredients into delectable dishes. . . . Uh-oh!

In the magical land of fairy tales, William doesn't quite fit in. He'd rather poach pears than pursue princesses, and he values gnocchi over knighthood. . . .

When he stumbles on a delivery of food destined for Fairy-Tale Headquarters (a pumpkin, apples, and a few measly beans), he decides to spice things up and whips the paltry ingredients into delectable dishes. But as you might have guessed, Snow White's wicked stepmother doesn't exactly want her magic apple baked and drizzled with caramel.

The team that brought you There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight delivers a hilariously fractured, whipped, and souffleed fairy tale that is chock-full of delicious details and jokes to satisfy every appetite.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Food, Childrens, Cooking, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2017

About the author

PENNY PARKER KLOSTERMANN is the author of Merry Christmas, Dear Mars, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço (Macmillan/Godwin Books), There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight and A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale, both illustrated by Ben Mantle (Random House Children’s Books), and coming May 6, 2025, Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army, illustrated by Anne Lambelet (Astra/Calkins Creek).

Penny feels lucky to have spent her childhood in the beautiful Crystal River Valley near Redstone, Colorado. She now lives in Abilene, Texas, The Storybook Capital of America, where inspiration is all around.

Penny loves all kinds of books but especially loves very silly picture books that make her laugh, as well as inspiring nonfiction books that tweak her curiosity. She has been known to hug her favorite picture books and seriously hopes that her books will gain huggable status too.

Reviews

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer)]

A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE written by Penny Parker Klostermann and illustrated by Ben Mantle offered up a hilarious foodie tale that adds a twist to classic fairy tales. With its subtle lesson on accepting what makes you different, this is a story your little ones will giggle over. Young William lives in the magical land of fairy tales but prefers cooking. He tries working in the local shop like the Brick House owned by three little pigs and Gingerbread-on-the-Go but decides it would be better to cook at home. Finding that his cupboards are bare, he decides to go shopping for ingredients.  On the street, he finds a box with an apple, a pumpkin, and beans.

A witch, a young boy, and three little mice show up at Fairytale headquarters in search of their apple, pumpkin, and beans only to discover William has baked them into delicious dishes.

Young readers are left to learn what happens. Will their stories end in happily ever after? Will William ever get to be a real chef? Find out in this delightful tale.

The illustrations are beautiful, vivid and plentiful. Sophia who is almost three delighted in the story and laughed when familiar fairytale characters were present. When we finished, she wanted to bake in her kitchen, where we enjoyed a make-believe feast.

Copy provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

Penny Parker Klostermann is at it again, with her zany takes on traditional tales. This time William tries to help out with food for Fairy Tale Headquarters. But will his cooking ruin the fairy tales?

SPOILER ALERT
Of course not. These are fairy tales, of course. They have to end happily ever after.

Love this rollicking good twist on some old stories. Wonderful illustrations too.

#bookaday

[Jessica Calaway]

3 - 7 years

4.5

[Luisa Knight]

It was a really cute idea and I loved the illustrations, I was just hoping for a little more story.

Ages: 4 - 8

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

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[Kirsti Call]

This fractured fairytale hilariously shows the plight of William, who lives in the land of fairytales, yet "prefers pastries to princesses, kitchens to kingdoms, and reciples to the Royal Reporter."

Filled with clever references to fairytale food, this book will keep you hungrily turning the pages. This rollicking read-aloud is quirky, and funny and a story you won't want to miss!

[Viviane Elbee]

This is such a funny, clever fractured fairy tale.

I love the cooking theme.

Kids wanted to read it again.

[Kareena]

A fun story for a fractured fairytale storytime. Cute and silly

[C.D. Gill]

Great illustrations and a nice twist on the fairy tales. Good story. Great pictures to look at. We've come back to this one several times already!

[Linda]

So much mixing, slicing and dicing fairy tales creates a scrumptious story that ends happily ever after for a boy named William who only wants to cook. After a few wrong twists of “too hot” and “too cold”, even “too dangerous,” William finds just what he needs to cook up a storm, and a storm it is when he makes bean soup with ham from Jack’s beans, baked apples with caramel drizzle before the witch can grab and poison one, and pumpkin pie, from that meant-to-be pumpkin coach we know so well. Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle of the There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed A Knight collaboration have teamed up again to make the reader laugh aloud, shout “no” at William’s ideas and breathe sighs of relief when once more, happily ever after happens. There are silly lines like “baking for Gingerbread-On-The-Go” when those gingerbread men ran away or “Pot-o’-Wolf stew” where the menu is too dangerous, only made funnier by Ben Mantle’s colorful, exaggerated illustrations. Seeing wolf paws trying to push around the door will bring howls of laughter. This will be a fall-on-the-floor laughter fest when read aloud. It’s another fun book from Penny and Ben.

[Beth]

Fractured fairy tales are one of my favorite genres of picture books because I'm a fan of subversion, what can I say. But with the genre becoming so saturated these days, it's hard to find a fractured fairy tale that stands out. But Penny Parker Klostermann found her niche in her main character, William, who manages to upend all of the fairy tales by taking the apple from Show White, the beans from Jack and the Beanstalk, and the pumpkin from Cinderella and turning them into Baked Apples with Caramel Drizzle, Bean Soup with Smoked Ham, and Pumpkin Pie with Cream and Candied Pecans.

Well whatever will happen in the fairy tales now when the very source of conflict has been completely changed? The answer is sure to surprise and delight you.

Read my entire review on my blog.

[Maria Marshall]

So many fractured fairy tales exist that finding a creative take on these perennial favorites is a challenge. But Penny Parker Klostermann not only rose to the challenge, she knocked it out of the park. A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE is an ingenious mash-up of Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella, with cameo appearances, orchestrated by Ben Mantle, of many other inhabitants of fairy tale land. Using a common thread in all three tales – food, Klostermann and Mantle create a delicious twist. When William’s love for cooking and dream of being a famous chef conflict with the realities of life in fairy tale land (dangerous stew and cantankerous customers), he makes one last ditch effort to impress Fairy-Tale-Headquarters. However, he’s never read the tales. Will his changes to some important ingredients ruin the happily-ever-after of three tales? The colorful, imaginative illustrations are engaging and full of surprises. Overall, a deliciously fun read aloud twisting of some familiar tales.

[Patricia Tilton]

A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale is a charming and clever take on some beloved fairy tales. William wants to be a chef and changes the fairy tales by using some apples, beans and a pumpkin to create delicious creations for Fairy Tale Headquarters. Instead he cooks up trouble. Now fairy tales must have a happy ending, so William must succeed without compromising his dreams to be a chef. Klostermann’s magical story-telling is original, entertaining and full of mouth-watering food wordplay that will satisfy readers. There is a gentle flow to the text. Ben Mantle’s colorful illustrations are comical, expressive and will tickle kid’s imaginations.

[Neeli]

An outstanding fractured fairytale that revolves around the food found in many of our traditional fairy tales. Suitable for older children who may already be familiar with the traditional tales and its accompanying illustrations.

[Shelli]

Tired of reading the same-old Fairy Tales again and again? A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale is a wonderful spin off of those well known classics. Children will love seeing what William is going to cook up next.

[Vera Godley]

Random House Publishing
ISBN: 9781101932322
Hardcover $17.99
My thoughts: There seems to be a lot of interest in the writing world to take classic fairy tales and make them over, weave them together, or piggy back them on stories not even relative to the genre. Folks are calling these "fractured" fairy tales.

So the author of A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale has taken a contemporary boy, placed him in the land of fairy tales, given him a love of cooking and stirred the pot to have his ingredients include items from fairy tales.

This is a cute story and fun to read. The illustrations are cute, colorful, and replete with lots of expression and action.

Now if you, the parent, know your fairy tales, you'll get the gist of things. If your child isn't up to "snuff" in his or her knowledge of all things fairy tales, he may miss the connections. So some of the connectivity will be lost and leave the child muddled as they try to reason matters out. But of course, we don't want to "overthink" a picture book written for youngsters.

So how does Chat With Vera actually feel about A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale? Well, I like it and I don't like it. So given that those feelings hit both ends of the spectrum, I'm thinking perhaps this is a 3 out of 5 star rating. But given the illustrations are quite good in a cute way, I'll say a 4-star rating. And given the fact that the scene about Cinderella's pumpkin chariot being a pumpkin pie because our contemporary kid had baked the pumpkin into a pie was so roll-over-on-the-floor funny, I'd say definitely a 4-star. The only downside was the fact that little kids might miss some connections.

So go ahead and check one out at the library and enjoy. Well, just go ahead and buy one because when were fairy tales so funny?

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher to facilitate a review of this cute, funny, tickle-your-funnybone picture book. Opinions are just mine, alone and are freely given.

[Lynn Davidson]

Penny Parker Klostermann took on the current challenge of mixing up fairy tales and coming out with a fabulous new story. With her new book – A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale – she has succeeded with an added a twist that is both funny and surprising for the reader.

William lived in the land of fairy tales where it was magical and amazing. Even so, William had a problem. He loved to cook, but no matter where he tried to work it just wasn’t a good fit. In one place the main ingredient in the wolf soup was too dangerous, in another his gingerbread men always ran away, and in yet another the customers (in particular, a bear family) were always way too fussy.

William decided to create his own home business. One day he found an order intended for Fairy Tale Headquarters, and he knew he could improve upon the bedtime snacks delivery. What resulted was a catastrophe when he presented his altered menu. For example, the poisoned apple for Snow White was instead a scrumptious Baked Apple with Caramel Drizzle. And what would become of Cinderella whose pumpkin coach was replaced by a delectable pumpkin pie! William has to do something to fix the problem he’d created for everyone.

It’s obvious there was a lot of time and work put into the whole process of creating A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale. Ben Mantle‘s amazing illustrations add wonderful details to Penny Parker Klostermann‘s funny and ingenious story. Cinderella’s expression and posture are particularly hilarious!

Penny is the author of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight, and this book is another wonderful demonstration of her love of humour through her words.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Klostermann, Penny Parker A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale, illustrated by Ben Mantle. PICTURE BOOK Random House, 2017. $18. 9781101932322

William lives in the land of fairy tales, but he is more interested in cooking than in princesses and kingdoms. He dreams of becoming a chef, but finds difficulty in serving the characters from the fairy tales, such as the picky three bears. One day a food truck drops a box of food on the side of the road from the Fairy-Tale headquarters and William decides he's going to improve the foods used in different fairy tales. He bakes Snow White's poisoned apple into a fabulous desert, cooks Cinderella's pumpkin into a pie and makes bean soup out of Jack in the Beanstock's beans. Everything eventually happens as it should, but William's cooking is appreciated across the kingdom.

This is an adorable spin on the fairy tales. William's love of cooking mixed with the quirky fairy tale characters makes for a fun read. Kids will recognize most of the fairy tales and have fun finding the way the stories have changed. The illustrations are bright and attractive with cute facial expressions.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Barbara]

William doesn't seem to fit in the fairy tale world in which he was born. All he wants to do is bake and cook, but his efforts to find gainful employment have not been fruitful. When he uses some ingredients necessary for fairy tales in his own concoctions, he inadvertently changes how some of the fairy tales turn out. Readers familiar with Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella will get a kick out of how each of these tales are slightly twisted by William's meddling. Ultimately, William finds happiness as a chef for the new royal couple, and yes, you guessed it--They all lived happily ever after. Books like this make smile from ear to ear since I love fractured fairy tales. The images will please readers as they are filled with yummy foods and interesting depictions of the stories. Readers looking for a reason to smile will find it in the amusing story about finding one's right place even when it looks as though it might be impossible. Sometimes it takes time to find your bliss or your happy place. I didn't particularly care for the idea of Fairy-Tale Headquarters, but I enjoyed everything else about the book.

[Gmr]

Once upon a time, there was a...cook? Chef William was his name and cooking was his game, or rather passion, but what to do when you've been run out of the local kitchens and your own pantry is bare?! Buy ingredients, unless you find a mysterious box of food goodies destined for Fairy Tale Headquarters and can whip up something scrumptious from the simplest (and most familiar) ingredients.

Needless to say, what follows is a cook's dream but a fairy tale manager's nightmare, and while things weren't quite the same when Snow White eats a delicious Baked Apple with Caramel Drizzle, Jack has to deal with the giant bean-less but bowl-full, and Cinderella's coach is a little less than the ultimate in beautified transportation, they all turn out pretty darn wonderful in the end. A great twist on the classics that'll make you wonder what other stories could stand a little mixing up...


**copy received for review

[Read Ribbet]

Clever idea that puts at the center of the story, a young man with a dream to cook his own recipes as a chef who wants to cook happily ever after. He run into difficulty due to the fairy tale contexts in which he has to operate. And just when he thinks his cooking has messed up fairy tales forever, he is recognized by others in a way that let's him achieve his dream. Klosterman weaves other fairy and folk tales characters through out the book (Three Pigs, Three Bears, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Snow White) that will engage young readers as they find recognizable links to these familiar tales. The universal theme of a boy following his dream is developed well. It would be a good addition to a fracture fairy tale study and provides a great mentor text on how to borrow and disrupt other stories to create your own unique version.

[Becky B]

A chef in FairyTale Land who loves making great food but couldn't care less about fairytales must learn a thing or two to figure out where he can find his perfect happily ever after.

I love all the nods to beloved fairytales, but best of all are the restaurants Chef Williams tries to cook for and the hilarious ways that Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella play out after Chef William with the best intentions bakes the apples, turns some beans into soup, and makes a pumpkin into pie. A very fun fractured fairytale story with a slight cautionary tale reminding readers that it is important to know about the culture you live among. The bright and cheery illustrations are captivating and enhance the fun of the story. I can see many readers getting inspired to write more stories set in Chef William's world.

[Caitlyn Patton]

This book incorporates many different fairytales within it. The book focuses on a man known as William who lives in fairytale land. William wants to be a chef but does not quite fit in with all of the magical elements of his town. One day, he comes across a box of magical ingredients and attempts to make meals with them, but does this affect how the common fairytales end? This book was such an interesting read and I loved how the different fairytales such as Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk were included and reimagined. I would use this book in a classroom by having students read the original fairytales and comparing them to this book. For example, I would have a group of students read "Cinderella" and then compare it to this book and find the differences amongst the two. I would recommend reading this book and finding the different fairytale aspects within them!

[Alexandria]

I love stories that immerse us in fairy tail worlds in an interesting way and this book does just that. The art is interesting: not too cute for older kids but with bright and bold enough colors for younger readers. There was one part where my book was either missing a page or the narrative hiccups a little because I couldn't quite follow how we went from getting money for the market to having a box of someone else's groceries, but once I got over that hump the story was engaging and entertaining. With references to plenty of well-known tales and a writing style that makes it fun to read out loud as well as suitable for beginning readers to try on their own, this is a cute kids' book.

[Diane]

"May I suggest that you can have your pie and your princess, too."

William wants to be a chef, but he just can't find a good job. He's tried The Brick House, but the wolf stew is too dangerous. He's tried the Three Bears Bistro and the Gingerbread-on-the-Go with unsatisfying results. So when he finds apples, beans and a pumpkin, William decides to cook them. He doesn't realize that in the magical land of fairy tales, these ingredients have a very different purpose. After all, he reads cookbooks, not fairy tales. Now how will those bedtime stories ever be told correctly?

[Sherri Rivers]

What a fun book. You know right away ole William is not a run of the mill tyke. When he tries to fulfill his cooking dreams, he encounters danger, hard-to-please diners, and other runaway delicacies. When he comes upon some odd food items, he goes to work, but some fairy tale characters aren't happy. All ends well, though, and the clever food words sprinkled throughout give it another level--"feast for my eyes," "a recipe for disaster," "was in a pickle," "cooked up enough trouble," etc. Lots of little extras in the illustrations.

[Juliana Lee]

William lived in the land of fairy tales, but he didn't know much about them because he was focused on cooking. He tried working as a cook at the Pig's Brick House, The Three Bear's Bistro, and The Gingerbread on the Go bakery. None of these jobs suited him. Then one day he found a box of ingredients that had fallen out of a passing truck. He used the ingredients to make a delicious dinner not realizing that they were essential to the bedtime stories for that night. To help make things right, William works to incorporate his food into the stories so that everything ends happily ever after!

[Lauren]

William wants nothing more than to cook delectable treats in a world where that is anything but easy. All of the fairy tale characters have their own ideas of what is tasty, and William wants to make something a little more unique. With a little elbow grease and a lot of determination, William sets out to spice up the palates of his fairy tale friends, fulfill his dream of becoming a chef, and bake a happy ending for all.

[The Brothers]

A young man who lives in fairy tale lands just wants to be a chef. But whatever he tries it never seems to work out. Then he really flubs things up because he actually hasn't read any of the fairy tales where he lives. Luckily, it works out that even though he messed up a few fairy tales with his cooking (Snow White, Jack & The Beanstalk, and Cinderella) he managed to achieve he dream after all.

Illustrations are very fun!

[Taylor Paull]

This book is a combination of fairytales through the lends of William the upcoming chef. He sees a delivery heading for Fairy-Tale headquarters and decides to spice up the food. I really enjoyed that the story was about William wanting to cook instead of look for princesses and incorporated the childhood favorites such as snow white, jack and the beanstalk, etc. Great story and plot! Would definitely recommend!

[Sheri]

William is a cook but has to find his way in fairy tale land and finally is able to impress those in three of the fairy tales and even the Dragon comes into the illustrations from another great story- I Know An Old Dragon. It will be fun to read and see the concoctions William makes up for the fairy tales he helps be a happily ever after ending.