Fairly Fairy Tales

by Esmé Raji Codell, Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator)

Parents and children love to play "question" games: Would you eat spaghetti made with gummy worms? Would you wear your clothes backwards all day? Sometimes the answer is "yes" and sometimes it's "no"--but the fun is in the asking. Gifted writer and educator Esme Raji Codell has writtten a book that incorporates fractured fairy tales with this kind of parent-child interplay to create a pitch-perfect combination of bedtime read-aloud and fairytales that will delight children and parents!

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Fiction, Fractured Fairy Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2011

About the author

Esme Raji Codell is the recipient of a prestigious James Patterson Pageturner Award for spreading the excitement of books in an effective and original way. She has been a keynote speaker for the International Reading Association and the American Library Association, a “virtual” keynote for the National Education Association’s “Stay Afloat!” online conference for first-year teachers, and a featured speaker at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. She has appeared on CBS’s The Early Show, CNN, C-SPAN, and NPR, among other media outlets across the country. The author of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, as well as five award-winning books for children, Esmé runs the popular children’s literature website and the unique literary salon, PlanetEsme.com

Reviews

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book didn't grab me right away, but by the time I read it at today's storytime, it had grown on my and it was certainly a big hit with my toddler audience. I wasn't sure the text format, ask a couple of questions about a well known fairy tale with answers (Straw? Yes. Sticks? Yes. Bricks? Yes.) and then through in a question that doesn't belong - "Solar Panels?" No. Then say, well, maybe and turn the page for a whole new take on that fairytale - colorfully illustrated and filled with humor. The kids loved it. They had a great time guessing the fairytale, and saying no...and then anticipating the "maybe" version of the story. There was a great response to this creative book. Great giggles and participation!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

You would think that for someone looking to SHAKE UP traditional fairy tales, especially if that person made a name for herself by bragging about how rad she was at teaching in a diverse school, that that author and her Peruvian illustrator might want to include, you know, not just white kids in their book.

You know I'm not the world's biggest Esme Raji Codell fan, and this book is significantly better than Sing a Song of Tuna Fish (but not as good as Sahara Special). The art is bright and detailed, but it's nothing amazing. And really? When the three little pigs put solar panels on their roof, do we need to perpetuate the myth that the only people who would celebrate are Rastafarians and hippies with flowers in their hair? Step up your game, ladies.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a quick, simple read that goes through a number of classic fairy tales without dragging them out to even remotely full-length, this is the book for you. Basically lacking any kind of feasible plot, the book dives right into the most basic spare details of each fairy tale with a simple, repetitive scaffold. It's not because the author doesn't know what she's doing though. In fact, the writer most assuredly knows exactly what she's doing. She's writing a simple, interactive fairy tale introduction that invites participation and response all without boring the audience to sleep. In my case, this is just what I was looking for and it was done very well.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not too much to this story. Three objects/characters in each fairy tale or folktale are followed by a question mark and the answer "yes." Then, something is listed that does not belong, with an answer of "NOOOOOO." The following page has an answer of "Well, maybe." A picture illustrated the twist on the fairy tale takes up a two page spread. Kids that are not familiar with common folk and fairy tales will not get the story, although those that do may laugh at the unusual twists. Not my cup of tea.

[Caren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, but my caveat would be that, despite the very bright picutres and very few words, it really is not a pre-K book. The child would have to know the original fairy tales to be able to join in the fun of the book and, in my experience, very young children often have not been exposed to many of these stories yet. (I had trouble sharing "Interrupting Chicken" with preschoolers for just this very reason.)It would probably work quite well with kindergarten and up.

[Meg Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a really fun book to use with a Fair Tale literature study. My students are learning to write Fairy Tales, so this would also be good to get their wheels moving in a different direction with the characters agreeing and opposing and then fantasizing what the story would be like if something else happened instead of what really did happen in all of the classic tales. I thought it was cute book for the purpose of teaching and reinforcing the classic fairy tale elements...

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this enough to share it with a second grade studying fairy tales. It was fun to see them take the elements from it and think about what other fairy tales could benefit from the "yes, yes, no...Well, maybe?" treatment. I paired it with Jean Little (1990) Once Upon a Golden Apple which I have read to Kindergarten for years. It might also go nicely with Each Peach Pear Plum (

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly fun book that challenges your "traditional" images of fairy tales. Great read aloud...I read it to my daughter's kindergarten class yesterday and not only were they able to help me "read" the story, but they giggled their guts out on every page. Excellent book that makes reading what it should be...interactive and super fun!

[Tina B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The humor here is in the details. Each fairy tale is told on one page with just three questions; "porridge? yes. chair? yes. bed? yes., then the new element is added "television? noooo." with a full spread on the next page to show the modern possibilites "well, maybe."

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get it. I do. But...my girls didn't get it and didn't understand why it was written like that. I lost any enjoyment because of having to explain it. It did get better after the first reading, but wasn't clever enough in my opinion to warrant more stars.

[jacky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Natalie was still too young for this book. You have to be well versed in several fairy tales for it to be funny. Even then, I didn't find these little twists on the stories that funny or interesting.

[Kelsey Righter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very few words and not enough story. It's such a disappointment because the illustrations are remarkably charming.

[Jami Hines · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this story it is a book about a bedtime story read from a mother to a child. The mother kisses the child and has water ready just in case he is thirsty. It is a remix on a mixture combination of classic fairy tales. I like that every page has one repetitive word in it. I think this is good for readers in second grade or possibly first depending on if they understand some of the big words like solar panels.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is best suited to children who can listen to the six nursery rhymes in order to answer one-word questions. (Three of these things go together and one does not belong.) It is basically three yes answers and one no answer for each one. Lovely illustrations.

[Ashlin Edmisten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best thing about this book is the illustrations. They are incredible and fascinating.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adds some elements that don't belong on each page. Great to use to search clues and solve problems.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was so cute! and simple! this is a fun one :)

[Jada Camejo]

Fairy fly fly
U will be free

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly Fairy Tales offers bold and bright illustrations and new twists on fairy tale favorites. Loved how the pictures seemed to pop off the page.

[Olive]

Really cracks Olive up.

[Alecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great five minute bed time story! Love the illustrations which give you a lot to talk about and observe, and the ending is super sweet. A book I would read numerous times with my daughter.

[Makenna Conner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for toddlers and young elementary kids. It represents fairy tales in very short easy ways and adds a twist to each of them. Would be a fun bedtime story!

[Kyra Rickenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun book that mentions a bunch of other popular fairy tales and tells a cute story.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

the words were repetitive but the animations were very fun

[Sarah Ankenbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only complaint is that this book wasn't nearly long enough! I would love to see an expanded edition with more fairy tales added.

[Araseli Almeida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was cute and did a great job of letting children connect outside thoughts to the book. It's great for a bedtime story but there needs to be daily reading for children to understand the book. Since it talks about certain fairy tales it's a must that the parents read regular to the child so they have background knowledge to connect to the story.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly Fairy Tales explores what might happen if just one new and interesting element was introduced to each of several well-known fairy tales. As a little boy gets ready for bed, he and his mother review the standard components to each tale - sticks, straw, and bricks; red hood, wolf, and grandma; cow, beanstalk and giant - affirming that each one belongs. Then Mom suggests something new - solar panels for the three pigs, shampoo for Little Red Riding Hood, and spaghetti for Jack and the Giant up the beanstalk. Noooo! says the little boy, but then thinks it over. Well, maybe.


Brightly colored two-page spreads depict the newly imagined fairy tales, and almost entirely without words, manage to tell a whole new story. The characters from Red Riding Hood are shown doing each other's hair and makeup in a salon. Cinderella and her prince dance beneath a disco ball while the fairy godmother and ugly stepsisters look on. Mama Bear and Papa Bear curl up on the couch and watch TV with Goldilocks while Baby Bear scowls in disgust. There is much to look at it in each illustration, so that even children who don't read yet will be able to understand what is going on, and how each of the characters might feel.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of television as a way to bring a family together, and I wasn't sure the bedtime sequences at the start and end of the book were necessary, but these are minor flaws, and I thought everything else was very well done. The conversational format of the text, in particular, works well, and the repetition of "Noooo!" and "Well, maybe," invites the child to participate in reading the story, which makes it equally great for story time and one-on-one reading. I'd definitely recommend this book to kids who know their fairy tales well, and I think it would also make a great introduction to those tales for kids who haven't heard them all yet.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most picture book stories about bedtime have similar ingredients:

Kiss? Yes.

Water? Yes.

Bedtime? NOOOOO!

The kid does not want to go to bed.

What if we add a new ingredient to old fairytales? Like solar panels to The Three Little Pigs, or disco to Cinderella. Natalya and I would have had so much fun with this picture book when she was small, because like the boy in the book, she would have taken back the “Nooooo!” and said, “Well, maybe,” too.

For a new imagination of the story using Codell’s suggested spin, Chavarri illustrates colorful and active double-page scenes for the reader to revisit the classic tales. Going, big, bold, and deceptively simple, Codell and Chavarri are fun and funny—and really smart.

The boy comes to rethink that “Nooooo!” to the question of bedtime, with a “maybe” that changes the age-old story and is willing to entertain possibilities. The boy (and reader) can get excited about story time and opportunities to dream.


L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this charming picture book, a mother prepares her child for bedtime with a kiss, a drink of water, and a story or two. Of course, children are rarely ready for bed, and she paves the way with pieces of six commonly read fairy tales. Each snippet has an unexpected twist; for instance, who would associate solar panels with the story of The Three Little Pigs--and yet, an eco-minded wolf might. Some of the possibilities are really, really strange, but young children familiar with the original versions would delight in pointing out the things that don't fit--and then seeing how they might fit, after all. The digitally prepared illustrations pulse with life, alternating a double page spread with four simple images with a double-page spread whose images fill the page. This one would be a wonderful read aloud but might not be the best choice when trying to lull someone to sleep.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very simple story that takes the well-known components of a traditional fairy tale ("Cow? Yes. Beanstalk? Yes. Giant? Yes.") and adds in an unusual and modern twist. ("Spaghetti? NOOOOO!") There is no real plot to the book or sense of continuity between the tales, and the text is so simple that it is boring for an adult to read. However, the kids loved to chime in with the "yes" and "no" parts, and they certainly enjoyed seeing how the fairy tale was twisted. However, quite a few of the twists were beyond my 3 and 5 year old's comprehension, like solar panels, disco balls, and even a beauty parlor. Having to explain these things took away from reading the story. The best part of this book was the beautiful and funny pictures; we especially loved the Italian restaurant scene.