Review: An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lendler & Whitney Martin

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): All Tomorrow's Parties by Icehouse.



My reviews are a bit different than most. As an undercover superhero (ordinary girl extraordinaire), my purpose is to try and uncover hidden gems lost from the familiar radar. Because of this, I have set up some guidelines for myself (just like the pirate code). :)

I will focus on YA and Children's literature (with very rare exceptions).
I will not review any book that is one of the top 25,000 bestselling books (based on Amazon ranks).
I will try and aim for books 100,000 or larger.
I will review recent books or books of great merit (preferably both).

An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lendler and Whitney Martin
Published: August 30, 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 32
Current Amazon Rank: #228,825
Author's Website:
Want it? Find it here.




The First Line:

Once upon a time there lived a princess who was famous throughout the land.




My Take:

This book is a RIOT!

Seriously, I have not had this much fun reading a picture book (especially a fairy tale book) in a long LONG time. It has all the things I love. Humor, an unconventional retelling, reversals of all kinds, and a painter hero you can really root for! And I have it on good authority that boys like it just as much as girls. Little boy tests and approval And you know, ignore that starred review from Kirkus and all.

Okay, so here's the scoop. It is your run-of-the-mill princess locked in a tower with suitors coming to rescue her story. But then something extraordinary happens. We meet Ned, the illustrator of our illustrious fairy tale, finishing the last touches on a bit of paint. Then we're warned not turn the pages too fast so he has time to finish the story. In the scramble to keep up with disobedient readers the catastrophe that follows is maelstrom of hilarity. Let's just say there are tutus and fish and princesses riding snails by the end. The kids love it. Remember my little boy test subject? He couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

The illustrations are vibrant, comical and such fun to fall into. And the storytelling is clever and engaging as the two stories meld into one. This is one I am adding to my collection without a doubt.



The Final Word:

Memorable, fun, and hilarious, this is one that should be added to any collection.