All at Once Upon a Time

This fairy tale mash-up from Rockliff and Jose lobs scraps of fairy tales at readers as fast as they can recognize them--and foils expectations, too. Crisp, cartoon-style illustrations open on a princess trapped in a tower with long... hair? No, a long nose that grows every time she fibs. When a prince arrives to save her, he begins to climb a beanstalk, arriving not at the top of the princess's tower but at a giant's house. There, a huge table is set with three bowls: "He tasted the porridge in the first bowl, but it was too hot. The second bowl of porridge was too cold." And the third? It's "just tapioca pudding." As the story continues, Little Red Riding Hood carries a basket full of frogs, and the wolf pricks its paw on a spinning wheel. It's a fast-moving romp that's also a challenge, inviting readers to identify the fractured fairy tales' fragments. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

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Be prepared for this amusing storytime selection to be requested over and over.

For readers with enough background knowledge to catch the jokes, this fast-paced adventure offers an opportunity to keep the story going even after the book has closed.