Fairly Fairy Tales

K-Gr 4—Bedtime stories take a twist in this attempt to shake up traditional tales. When a child says "no" to bedtime, fairy tales are offered in order to encourage sleep. Each tale is condensed into three familiar elements from the story ("Bread crumbs? Yes./Gingerbread? Yes./Witch? Yes.") and then a fourth term that is obviously not original to the story ("Piñata? NOOOOO!" says the child). The turn of the page suggests a "Well, maybe" scenario. Unfortunately, the tales are most often not "laugh-out-loud" as promised by the book jacket, but rather border on the absurd. For example, when Cinderella is presented as "Fairy godmother? Yes./Pumpkin coach? Yes./Glass slipper? Yes./Disco ball? NOOOOO!," the spread that follows features Cinderella with her John Travolta-clone Prince Charming dancing under the disco ball. The digital illustrations have some charm but hold little appeal for young children. Some terms, such as "solar panels" on the three pigs' house, will require explanation, and the conceit works best with youngsters already familiar with the stories. As an original approach to fairy tales, this one fairly misses the mark.—C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY