From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Children who are already familiar with Mother Goose rhymes and common folktales will find great humor in this fractured fairy tale. Mother Hubbard's son Jack delivers the
Fairytale News to help out with the bare cupboards. His first stop is at Honey Cottage, the home of the Three Bears, and then he travels on to Mr. and Mrs. Hood, parents of Red Riding. Jack's story eventually becomes intertwined with the "Jack and the Beanstalk" saga, as he works out a deal with the giant who promises the boy a coin each day if he continues to deliver the paper. Puns abound. Although some entertaining quips may be enjoyed only by adults, such as the "Wax & Wayne" candle shop, young readers will feel clever pointing out references to the many fairy tales and poring over the details in the bright watercolor illustrations. One spread of the village contains the boot-shaped abode of the Old Woman in the Shoe, the Three Little Pigs' brick house, Miss Muffet's tuffet, and more. A loose newspaper is tucked into a colorful blue jeans pocket on the final page, which might make it difficult for libraries to circulate the book. However, even if the newspaper is lost, the story stands on its own.
–Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 3. "Nabbed! Big Bad Wolf Arrested in Nightgown." The fractured fairy tale gets a fresh nonsense twist with tabloid newspaper reports of the well-known characters' goings-on. Jack gets a job delivering the
Fairytale News to everyone from the Three Bears to Little Red Riding Hood's granny. Kids who know the stories will enjoy the playful versions and the connections between them, and the cartoon-style, line-and-watercolor artwork extends the fun ("Ugh! Too sweet!" says Goldilocks, tossing her big bouffant hairdo). Best of all is the newspaper tucked into a pocket inside the back cover, with news, advice columns, and classifieds for the fairy-tale community; libraries will want to laminate it and make it a permanent part of the book.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
