An Undone Fairy Tale - Hardcover

Lendler, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689866771 ISBN 13: 9780689866777

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

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!

About this title

From the Author

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.

From School Library Journal

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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About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0689866771
• ISBN 13: 9780689866777
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Martin Whitney