A really fun book about a boy and girl's school story project and how they can't agree on anything. Really fun book for boys and girls. (picture)

This battle between a girl and boy is quirky, and fun to read. The story begins with a typical Once-Upon-A-Time Princess story, narrated by a little girl and a little boy making faces at the horrors of this story. Then the little boy makes changes to the princess story and monsters and motorcycles get incorporated. The illustrations change with the story, and the two narrators make the story flow. Their banter was fun for my kids and for me, as I got to try on a lot of different character voices through the book.
Graphic novel

This book is very fun. The illustrations remind me of The Three Pigs By David Wiesner. It's the story of a little boy and girl who take turns telling a fairy tale. The story is delightful because like boys and girls, they can't fully agree on anything and it makes the tale quite exciting.

I really liked the concept of not only alternating but duelling stories, and I liked the way the art played along. And I liked the way the brother and sister eventually find a path they both like. However, the story itself ended up being not that exciting: it was very heavily gender-stereotyped and both of the two narrations seemed flatter and less interesting than the stories real kids come up with.

I loved the back and forth banter and building on of a well-loved fairy tale told by a boy and a girl's perspective. Kids will giggle as the story twists and turns depending on who is telling it.

The project is to tell the class about your pair's favorite fairy tale, but one girl and boy can't agree which they like best so they write their own. Three illustrators and one mishmashed tale later, everyone's having fun. Kevin O'Malley authored the story and provides the illustrations of our project pair. Carol Heyer provides the illustrations for the girl's portion of the fairy tale and Scott Goto provides the illustrations for the boy's portion of the fairy tale. While this might be tough for a read-aloud with the interjections from the boy and girl, it's great fun for a read-alone. Even I found the beginning (the girl's fairy tale) a bit twee and I like princesses and unicorns and while the boy swings a bit too far in the gross-out direction for my taste, I love the final melding of the tales. My favorite two spreads are when "Princess Tenderheart goes to the gym and pumps iron. She becomes Princess Warrior. She tells the dude to make his own thread." The illustrations that go with this are just priceless with the style staying true to the original fairy tale while the images show a Princess determined not to be left behind. What this reminds me of most were the serial stories we'd have to write in school. One person would start the story and another would continue it and another would finish it - this would be a great lead in to the same type of exercies if the interjections could be handled. It would also make pretty fun Readers' Theater.

I took this book to 2nd Grade a couple of years ago when I was invited to be a guest reader for my friend's son Matthew. We teased him about reading a book about a princess and he was completely mortified thinking I was going to embarass him in front of his class. He was relieved to find a Cool Motorcycle Dude was also involved. A great battle of the sexes book to keep girls and boys interested in what happens next.

This was so much fun...especially in teaching fairy tales

A girl and boy are paired to write a story together--the girls starts with a gooey story of princesses and ponies, which the boy then transforms into a tale of charging motorcycle dudes who battle dragons and giants. It takes a great (and unexpected) twist and turn to satisfy both genders and kids will get the joke. Probably the best book I've seen for talking about point of view.

This is a fun book to share. I read it aloud to a group of 3rd graders today and they LOVED it. Next time I read it, I think I'll do a little more preface work, explaining that the story starts with the narration as written by the girl, and that they need to pay close attention to the expressions on the faces of the two characters as they listen to the other one read their section of the story. Great laughs!

This was a funny version of a fractured princess tale. A girl and boy take turns telling their own fairy tales and eventually they combine their stories together. Will make a nice read-aloud and activity tie-in.

This book received the Monarch Award last year as it was voted on by the children of Illinois. Together, a girl and boy must write a story together. Once upon a time there was ...a princess ...a cool muscle dude ...who loved all her beautiful ponies. ...who rode an awesome motorcycle. ...But a giant came and started stealing them! ...The dude came to fight the ugly, smelly giant with his mighty sword. ...She turned gold into thread while she cried for Buttercup, her favorite pony...

Interesting enough, the book has three total illustrators. With the active collaboration between illustrators, the book's pictures are amazing and very interactive. The girl and boy bring the book to life and truly invite the readers into the text. A good selection to pick up next time you are at the library!