An Undone Fairy Tale - Hardcover

Ian Lendler is the author of the award-winning graphic novel series, Stratford Zoo Presents...; the picture books An Undone Fairy Tale, Little Sid, and One Day a Dot; and the middle grade novel The First Dinosaur (illustrated by C.M. Butzer). If he had to be one sort of dinosaur, he’d probably be a chicken (yes, they’re dinosaurs, too). 

Whitney Martin is the illustrator of George Foreman's picture book, Let George Do It! He has spent the last ten years working in animation for Disney feature films and Fox TV's King of the Hill. Whitney's illustrations have been featured in magazines, galleries, and cable television shows. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife and two sons.

Grade 1-3–In this nonsensical tale, a gluttonous king imprisons his stepdaughter in a tower so that she can bake pies only for him. Although many knights try to rescue her, none are able to accomplish the three difficult tasks set by the monarch. As Sir Wilbur–the most famous knight around–appears on the scene, the action is interrupted. Ned, the book's supposed illustrator, is introduced. A tiny man sitting on a board suspended by ropes, he rushes to finish painting the larger-than-life spread. Meanwhile, another man, the narrator, begs readers to slow down so that the work can be completed. While the fairy tale is illustrated with fluid watercolor-and-gouache cartoons, the two men are depicted in a simpler, more angular style, and the narrator's numerous comments are presented in a more workmanlike font. Unable to keep up, the story's creators improvise with what they have on hand, resulting in a hero who wears a tutu, an army of pickles, and a princess who saves her man while riding a snail and brandishing a banana. Although the approach is unique, the joke soon wears thin, as the narrator continually admonishes readers (Why do you keep turning the page? or Look, we're trying to tell a good story, but you're reading too fast). Not only is the plot less than successful, but the ending is also abrupt.–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
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