Fairly Fairy Tales

Fairly Fairy Tales

Author: Esme Raji Codell
Illustrator: Elisa Chavarri

Genre: Picture Book, Fractured Fairy Tale

Summary (from Goodreads):  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!

Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars