by Jon Scieszka
and
Lane Smith
This children's picture book takes a spin at common fairy tales such as Chicken Little, The Little Red Hen, and Jack and the Bean Stock; but adds a very sarcastic spin. Rather than simply writing another version of The Tortoise and the Hare, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith turn it into The Tortoise and the Hair and tell the story of the slow turtle trying to race a rabbit growing out his hair. These silly twists on fables end up being hilarious and are sure to draw children's attention. I loved the bold and dramatic illustrations done throughout the whole book. One of my favorite illustrations comes in with the story of the Little Red Hen. On one side of the book is a completely blank page with the other side showing the hen complaining "I planted the wheat. I watered the wheat. I harvested the wheat. Now do I get to tell my story?" She continues on to suggest that the illustrator is just as lazy as the dog, cat, and mouse as known from the true story of The Little Red Hen. The hen even makes another appearance at the end as she is intertwined with the other fairly tales from the story. Children would benefit the most from this book if they have already read the more common versions of these popular fables because they would understand more of the puns. The layout of this book is very honest and sarcastic too with the title page reading Title Page, and the dedication page upside with a blurb saying "I know. I know. The page is upside down. I meant to do that. Who ever looks at the dedication stuff anyhow?" All in all, I loved this book and I think that many children will get a laugh out of it too.
Intended Age 5+
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