Once upon a Time... Online: Happily Ever After Is Only a Click Away!

by David Bedford, Rosie Reeve (Illustrator)

Once upon a time, a laptop arrived in Fairy-tale land... A happily ever after is only a click away! Find out what happens when our favorite fairy-tale characters receive a laptop and learn a lesson in online safety. Once Upon a Time... Online is illustrated by Rose Reeve and written by David Bedford.

Genres: Picture Books, Technology, Childrens, Fractured Fairy Tales, Humor, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 27, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Bedford has a BS and PhD in Biology. He gave up biology in 1997 to write full time.

Reviews

[Julie Suzanne]

Very cute little rhyming story about our favorite fairy tale characters learning the joys and pitfalls of using technology without guidance. After a laptop falls out of the sky, the 3 little pigs, the wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the giant, and Cinderella all are empowered at first to fulfill their own needs using the computer. However, some negative consequences result, and Fairy Godmother (your school's tech teacher or librarian in disguise) saves the day. She teaches the kids what else they can do online to empower and educate themselves, and she teaches them needed skills to make it all work out. The moral of this cute rhyming tale is that online tools can enhance your life, but you should never go online without guidance!

[Mairéad]

A rhyming, brightly illustrated story that introduces the idea that our activities online have real world impact and younger readers should make sure an adult they trust is aware of their activities on the Internet. While this is a good starting point for children aged 4+ there are some flaws here (as noted in lots of other reviews!) namely the activities the fairytale kids get up to aren't exactly relevant to real world children who are more likely to be making purchases through apps on a tablet not shopping online on a laptop, also the idea that the debt magically vanishes thanks to the adult doesn't sit well with me as it teaches nothing about taking responsibility for our own actions, finally the issues of misinformation online & cyber bullying aren't explored at all which seems like a big missed opportunity. In a classroom setting I would probably explore these missed elements with older pupils (8+) as part of our work on digital citizenship and safety online.

[Nadine]

Not a bad start for conversations about digital literacy and citizenship. A few changes I would have made - the target market for this book are kids that access the internet by tablets rather than laptops, so it would have been better to have that.
In my experience as a parent and educator, they're not so much buying things on line as making in-app purchases and it's a pity that wasn't included.
My other gripe was that the debt was waved away by the fairy godmother - perhaps a few weeks of scrubbing pots and sweeping floors to work off the debt may have been more realistic and appropriate - kind of restorative justice?
Hopefully as more authors enter the fray of this field it will improve.

[Katie]

I've been reading this book to introduce our digital citizenship lesson this week - there are a few minor things that I wish were different: for example, Jack is magically gifted a laptop, but then a few pages later, it's a tablet that Rapunzel is using to chat with her Prince; or later there are 2 laptops rather than 1, that the Giant and Jack use to make a movie together. I wish there was some accountability for the shopping bill that the Fairy Godmother magically pays. BUT the main point that I hope to hammer home is shared well - ask an adult before going online. Make sure a grown up know what sites you're visiting. We use that to springboard into other safety and sharing guidelines, and overall the book is quite clever and been well-received with my classes.

[Steve Holden]

I stumbled upon this one looking into digital citizenship books for kids a bit closer. I feel this one delves into the idea of online safety in a child-friendly, appropriate manner. I posted that Chicken Clicking made me feel that it could cause fear and discomfort with computers and online with children, and that makes me uncomfortable. This one doesn't make me uncomfortable and it eases into the subject with a quick and fun story.

[Pam]

The fairy tale kids find a laptop and discover so many things online - shopping, talking, texting, gaming. However, the bill comes due, the tablet doesn't always work, gaming alone is lonely, and keeping your eyes on your phone can make you trip on brambles.
Fairy Godmother arrives and helps them learn about what to do online and to always check with an adult first.

[Jessica]

The fairy tale characters go out of whack when they get a lap top and buy lots of things. When they got everything they wanted and got the bill, they wished they'd never seen the lap top. Their fairy godmother helps them to control their dealings online. They must ask permission and collaborate and do better with their online lives.

[Joanna]

Cameron LOVED this cheeky fairytale riff with Cinderella, Rapunzel, et al learning about online shopping, and the Big Bad Wolf too distracted by online gaming to bother with the Pigs or Red Riding Hood. Super fun readaloud! Thanks to Meme for the birthday gift.

[Anna]

This is the book I think I'll use for my 1–3rd Digitial Citizenship. I like that it isn't saying that the internet is bad and should be avoided, but it highlights the importance of children getting adult permission to be online.

Story: 4
Illustrations: 3
Read-aloud: 4

[Karen Gedeon]

An older book (copyright 2016), but still relevant today for little ones who need to learn about both the good and bad of personal technology usage. Makes a great read-a-loud as there are numerous discussion points along the way. Recommended for those with small children.

[Julie]

Fun way to share the message of too much online time isn’t a good thing.

[Marcia]

A cute rhyming book about what happens when technology enters the fairy tale world. A good conversation starter.

[Gretchen Oates]

3 1/2 stars
Good at showing there are consequences to too much screen time, online shopping etc. The main moral is: always ask an adult first.

[Rebecca Dougherty]

This book was a fun tie-in with Common Sense Media's digital citizenship curriculum for K-2. It also allowed me to introduce fractured fairy tales to students.

[Lee]

This book is a nice-enough incorporation of classic fairytales into a story about the dangers of online. A bit preachy but the rhymes and illustrations help to soften the message.

[Jitendra Kotai]

Excellent poetry style depiction of Fairy tale characters using things online... becoming game addicts etc

[Julie]

For teaching digital citizenship, cybersafety, and cyber-etiquette.