The Great Gran Plan

April 15, 2019
A fractured fairy tale about one of the three little pigs and his brave quest to save Little Red Riding Hood's granny from being eaten by the wicked old wolf. The little pig (presumably the third) is living safe and secure in his snug little house when he learns that the wolf is now trying to gobble up Little Red Riding Hood's poor old grandmother. He springs to action to save her in this lively, rhyming fairy tale mashup, racing through his magical fairy-tale village to collect items to help him on his mission. Vivid, colorful, and humorous illustrations fill every page and will engage both child and adult readers. Readers will have tremendous fun searching out all of the other fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme details hidden throughout the main story, making this an interactive experience as well as a delightful read-aloud. A man with rosy red buttocks walks serenely away from the Emporium of New Clothes dressed only in a crown; Goldilocks and a little bear get into a jolly food fight at the Fairy-Tale Fete. Children will eagerly keep turning the pages to find out what happens next and will learn that maybe granny doesn't need much saving after all. There is great appeal here for both lovers of fairy tales and silly adventures. Despite the gobbling-up-granny theme, there are no scary images to frighten even the youngest reader. Most of the human characters are white. Great fun. (Picture book. 4-6)

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June 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-One of the pigs from the classic tale is back and he's on a mission to save Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother from being eaten by none other than the usual enemy....the wolf. The pig protagonist journeys through the village to gather items that will assist him with his quest to save Grandma and once again show the wolf who is boss. Throughout the journey, readers are treated to cameos by some other fairy-tale favorites, such as the Emperor ("The Emperor's New Clothes") and Goldilocks. The pig and the granny turn out to be an amazing team and they ward off the big bad wolf and place him in Fairy Tale jail. All of the characters rejoice with a delicious food fight and celebration. Mixed media illustrations accurately represent the characters and paint detail-oriented scenes of the village. Fairy tale characters are strategically placed throughout the scenes and readers will enjoy searching for characters they may know. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase for any collection of fairy tales as this is one of the more enjoyable fractured fairy tales with a little bit of magic sprinkled in the mix.-Kristen Todd-Wurm, Middle Country Public Library, NY

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