Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf

Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf

by Rachael Mortimer

Illustrated by Liz Pichon

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fractured Fairy Tale, Picture Book

Synopsis:  Little Wolf doesn't want to be a Big Bad Wolf.  But when she is sent to catch dinner and meets Red Riding Hood, she doesn't know what to do.  Together they find a solution to Little Wolf's big problem.

From the back of the book

Review:  This was a cute story about a girly wolf who loves pink and fairy tales.  But her parents are big bad wolves who make her go get dinner for them that includes a nice juicy girl.  The wolf knows she has to try to make her parents happy and so tries to be a Big Bad Wolf but just can't help herself dressing up in grandma's clothes or listening to Little Red Riding Hood read fairy tales.  I really liked the story up until the end of the book.  The ending is abrupt and doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.

Rating:  3 1/2 stars

The Three Horrid Little Pigs

The Three Horrid Little Pigs

by Liz Pichon

Genre: Fairy Tale/Fractured Fairy Tale/Picture Book

Synopsis:  The three horrid little pigs are so horrid, they drive their mother crazy!  So she sends them out to make their own homes.

The first two little pigs build their houses by stealing straw and swiping twigs.  While the third little pig is so lazy that he moves into a chicken coop.

What horrid little pigs!  Will the big friendly wolf help them see the error of their ways?

From the book jacket

Review:  This is a cute story of a very kind, friendly and helpful wolf.  It's always nice to read a story about a nice wolf since they are generally the bad guys!  I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book and the comments that the author included in the pictures and not in the text.  This story is fun to read and fun to listen to.  Kids will get a kick out of it as long as they know the original story and they will love the end where everyone gets along!

Rating: 5 stars

Cindy Ellen

Cindy Ellen

by Susan Lowell

Illustrated by Jane Manning

Genre: Fairy Tale/Fractured Fairy Tale

Synopsis:  Once upon a time, there was a sweet cowgirl named Cindy Ellen, who lived with the orneriest stepmother west of the Mississippi and two stepsisters who were so nasty, they made rattlesnakes look nice! But when a fast-talkin' fairy godmother teaches Cindy Ellen a little lesson about gumption, Cindy lassos first place at the rodeo and the heart of Joe Prince....

You may think you've heard the story before-but you'll get a side-splittin' bellyache after you're through with this hilarious rendition told Wild West-style!

From GoodReads

Review: This story is a fun rendition of Cinderella set in the wild west.  My kids have read this book several times now so they must like it although I don't hear any laughs or giggles during the story.  Perhaps they don't get the wild west humor!  This book is wordy and full of vocabulary, like gumption, and idioms that they are unfamiliar with.  But they still do like the story.  I enjoyed reading a different version of Cinderella and one where Cinderella (Cindy Ellen) had to do something besides look beautiful and dance with the prince.

Rating: 4 stars

An Undone Fairy Tale

An Undone Fairy Tale

author: Ian Lendler

illustrator: Whitney Martin

Genre: Picture Book, Fairy Tale

Summary (from Goodreads):  Now, Ned and I admire how well you read. But the story will be ruined if you turn the page right now.
So please don't.
A beautiful pie-making princess is trapped in a tower. Can Sir Wilbur rescue her? And more importantly, can he do it while wearing a tutu? He's going to try! But if you read the story too quickly, Ned won't be able to make the pictures or costumes in time. And happily-ever-after may start to go a bit haywire.
Join Ian Lendler and Whitney Martin for a fairy tale that takes off into hilarious uncharted territory -- all because you won't slow down!

Review:  Not only do my girls love this book, but I thoroughly enjoy reading it, and I suspect my husband does, too!  It starts out sounding much like a traditional fairy tale, but quickly devolves into silliness as the illustrator runs out of time to complete the illustrations.  My kids thought it was hilarious that the king wore a donut crown and that the knights rode on fish, and they couldn't wait to turn the pages to see what crazy thing would happen next.  All in all, a delightful fun read with entertaining illustrations.

Rating: 5 stars

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

author: Eugene Trivizas

illustrator: Helen Oxenbury

Genre: Picture Book, Fractured Fairy Tale

Summary (from Goodreads):  When it comes time for the three little wolves to go out into the world and build themselves a house, their mother warns them to beware the big bad pig. But the little wolves' increasingly sturdy dwellings are no match for the persistent porker, who has more up his sleeve than huffing and puffing. It takes a chance encounter with a flamingo pushing a wheelbarrow full of flowers to provide a surprising and satisfying solution to the little wolves' housing crisis.
Eugene Trivizas's hilarious text and Helen Oxenbury's enchanting watercolors have made this delightfully skewed version of the traditional tale a contemporary classic.

Review:  My girls love this book - I have read it three times in the last few days.  The story is a fun twist on The Three Little Pigs, with the big bad pig finding creative ways to destroy the sturdy houses built by the three little wolves.  My kids were a bit confused by some of the games the wolves play and by the building materials and destruction methods, but we spent a while discussing those things, which was a good educational opportunity.  Perhaps this story would be more easily understood by British boys?  I loved that the story talked about the importance of generosity and forgiveness, too.

Rating: 4 stars

Cinder Edna

Cinder Edna

author: Ellen Jackson

illustrator: Kevin O'Malley

Genre: Picture Book, Fractured Fairy Tale

Summary (from Goodreads):  The famous Cinderella and her neighbor Cinder Edna each worked sunup to sundown for their wicked stepmother and stepsisters. But while Cinderella had the good fortune to be rescued by her fairy godmother, Edna was strong, self-reliant, spunky--and she lived happier ever after! "Nicely executed....This Cinderella send-up is full of kid-pleasing jokes."--Publisher's Weekly.

Review:  I thought this book was really cute and clever, and I loved the message that ordinary girls who work hard and develop an action plan to follow their dreams will get their happily-ever-after.  My girls, on the other hand, did NOT like the fact that Cinderella was painted as helpless and boring, and that her prince was a dullard.  It was also a little too wordy for them, and they generally will sit and enjoy long books.  I would have given this 5 stars, but since it is written for children, I skewed the stars towards my children's perspective.

Rating: 3 stars

Little Red

Little Red

author: Lynn Roberts

illustrator: David Roberts

Genre: Picture Book, Fractured Fairy Tale

Summary (from Goodreads):  In the spirit of "Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story," Lynn and David Roberts give the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood a new, fun historical twist.
Little Red is happily taking a basket of ginger ale to his grandmother when he stops to gather apples in the woods. Who should grab his red cape, but none other than the wily wolf, who runs immediately to the grandmother's house to devour her and wait for Little Red to be next! With a new, happily-ever-after spin on the story, the boy tricks the wolf into gulping down the entire ginger ale at once, which triggers the wolf to hiccup his grandmother out of his belly. Little Red gallantly overcomes the wolf and is the hero of the day!
A charming variation of the classic fairytale, "Little Red Riding Hood," Little Red is set in Colonial America and is filled with imaginative illustrations and historical references

Review:  My girls really like listening to this book, and they find it hilarious that the wolf belches out Granny at the end.  I think the illustrations are fun to look at, kind of a Coraline-type version of the post-Revolutionary War era.  My kids missed all the historical references in the illustrations, of course, but I thought they were fun (although did the Granny really need to show so much cleavage?).  Sure, the story is a little gory, but it's less so than the original Little Red Riding Hood. 

Rating: 4 stars