Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an elementary school librarian and read this book to sophisticated sixth graders. They laughed out loud, and demanded an immediate second reading. The story is told in two alternating voices, and with each turn one story teller tries to trump the other. The illustrations are eye-popping and dazzling.
We followed the read-aloud, with a stab at our own creation by alternating boy and girl voices. Our story ended with a pop star performing at the Oscars wearing a designer dress laced with itching powder.
If you are a librarian, you will want multiple copies for your collection. If you are a classroom teacher, you will want one to stimulate storytelling. And, if you have a reluctant reader, s/he will gobble this one up.

This is my first review, but my sons (5- and 3-yrs old) are such big fans of this book that I felt compelled to share. The unconventional format in which this fairy tale type story is told, with the competing boy and girl narrators, coupled with the variety of illustation styles to complement who is narrating at the time make this a favorite bedtime book. Also the way it is written makes it fun for me to read, which is good, seeing as I've read so many times. All around a FUN, FUN book to share with your kids.

So here I am wondering what to read to my jaded fifth graders. They don't go in for the ultra serious, they yawn through the books beloved of second and third graders. They groan when I mention poetry or nonfiction. And then this book falls into my lap. One read through and I'm hooked--and so is my fifth grade audience! Kevin O'Malley has brilliantly joined artistic forces with Carol Heyer and Scott Goto to create a book that is a commentary on story telling, the battle of the sexes, and a great graphic novel picture book yarn!

The premise of this tale is easy to absorb; two characters, a boy and a girl (probably classmates at school) are telling the readers their own made up fairy tale. Each takes a turn at the story, and offers commentary on their partner's part of the tale. The girl starts off with a flowery story of a princess and her ponies and the giant that comes and steals the ponies away. No prince seems up to the challenge. At this point, our male narrator has become heartily sick of the way the story is being told and takes over the narrative. No prince may be up to beating the giant, but a motorcycle-riding Dude with a sword just might be able to win the day. The boy continues on with his tale of action and adventure and finishes off the tale--leaving the princess doing nothing but spinning gold thread. The female narrator has her own idea of how the story should end, and it takes some work for the two to come together on an ending that satisfies them both and delights listeners. The narrative is broken into actual story text, and dialog bubbles, combining traditional picture book style with graphic novel sensibilities. This book will most likely appeal to readers already familiar with comics and graphic novels and who will be delighted to find a picture book in the same format. While this break up of text can be challenging to read aloud, older readers will have no problem following the story on their own.

But the text is hardly the whole story. The pictures are what make this book so delightful, and hysterical. A veteran artist and illustrator of over 25 children's books, Kevin O'Malley's flair is found in the cartoon style boy and girl that speak in dialog bubbles that appear throughout the main fairy tale, offering extra commentary. Mr. O'Malley's characters speak directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall and pulling the readers/listeners into the story crafting experience. Carol Heyer is an award winning fantasy artist who has illustrated several fairy tale books for children and her talent shines through in gorgeous romanticized images of a lovely princess and her ponies. Everything is in royal hues shaded to pinks and purples. The pictures are lovely, but very "girl" and extremely saccharine--which the readers will figure out fast enough. The menacing giant doesn't look all that mean or foreboding, and the princess inhabits that "magical fairyland" quality that would be at home in most "girl-centric" advertising. Carol Heyer knows just how to play this up without making the pictures themselves comical or caricatures--they're lovely, but funny as hell when added to the text. Scott Goto also has a fantasy background to his art, but his style is bold, sweeping over the whole page and defining itself with strong colors. His Dude has a modern touch that hints of world wrestling while still managing to capture a more Conan-like spirit in the battle. Goto's giant is monstrous and hideous--in keeping with the male narrative of grossness. "And his breath smelled like rotten, moldy, stinky wet feet!" The combination of these styles as our narrators battle for control of the story highlights the differences and encourages the laughter, while giving some great artwork for the reader to enjoy. Some of this stuff would be at home in any high fantasy collection!

This book manages to highlight what could be considered traditional differences in the way male and female narratives are handled. The girl's narrative focuses on emotions and names of the ponies and more descriptive elements of the text while the boy focuses on action and big events without necessarily finishing the narrative tale. It takes both of them working together and taking elements from the other's story to come to the conclusion. Of course nothing remains in agreement for long! I will be the first to admit it is a hard book to read aloud. If you're really good at voices and humor however, this book is the perfect read for older, more cynical listeners. It took me several tries to get it to read well, but now it's the book that all my kids request. They love hearing it as much as I love telling it!

Those who enjoy this book might want to take a look at the Captain Raptor series also by Mr. O'Malley. Likewise, "Mars Needs Moms" by Berkely Breathed may appeal with its similar whimsy and powerful illustrations. And don't miss "Superhero ABC" by Bob Macleod. This comic-book style art alphabet book is sure to please those with a love of action heroes and humor.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

A boy and girl have to make a fairy tale. The couldn't agree on the fairy tale. Their agruments about the story line made their fairy tale hilarious. You will bust a gut laughing! We adored the characters' dramatic voices. We also enjoyed the illustrations. Children who like fairy tales and like to get their own way will treasure this book. GO GET THIS BOOK NOW or miss out on a FANTASTIC BOOK!
Blue Group at Norco K-3

A girlie girl and a macho boy had to write a fairy tale together for a school project. They couldn't decide what fairy tale to tell, so they just made one up. They each used their own voice and own personality. The result was a hilarious fairy tale.
There were many things that we treasured in this book. We particularly liked the characters'strong personalities and the illustrations. We recommed this book to children who like fractured fairy tales like Shrek and The Wolf Who Cried Boy.
Red group at Norco K-3

I very much enjoyed this book. It takes to extremes the differences in the stories that girls and boys tend to be drawn to. It certainly would be great for a reading out loud event as there very distinct characters that could be well voiced. The art (of three different illustrators) is fantastic, especially towards the end where the princess pulls a She-Ra. Great, fun read.

I have not yet read this to my class, but personally I loved it and will appreciate it just for myself if need be. This hysterical picture combines an amazing author/illustrator and two more illustrators to celebrate the difference between boy and girl thought processes. Maybe they're a little typical, but I've been around enough kids to know there is a lot of truth.

A boy and a girl, partners for a class project, are supposed to retell their favorite to the class. However, they could not agree on a story, so they decide to instead tell their own, combining the adventures of a sweet princess and a muscle-bound guy on a motorcycle. The two sides of the story play off of each wonderfully as the kids banter.

Not only is it funny and all three illustration styles fantastic, but it's a clever exercise in voice. Even the fonts change.

This is a delight to read. I can't wait to share it with my class.

EDIT:
I have since read this to my class. This is the second book in three years of teaching where my class demanded a reread immediately after the book was finished.

I made the mistake of loaning it to another teacher. My class nearly rebelled when it wasn't on their shelf for their own perusing.

Yes, 1st grade age can appreciate this book.

This book won the North Carolina Children's Book Award in 2007 (students vote for the winning book from a list developed by children's librarians). I read it to my Pre-K through 3rd grade classes when it was a nominee--they ALL loved it. (I'd have read it to grades 4-6 if I'd had the chance!).

So when I went on a librarian interview and had to give a 5-minute presentation at the end, I knew what I'd do--a read-aloud of Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude. I had to present to about 6 adults--both librarians and non-librarians (Human Resources, etc.) I know it went beyond the 5 minutes and I stopped partway through to double-check, but they wanted me to keep going. At the end, they immediately asked the children's librarian if they had that book in their collection. I then became the top candidate for the job, too!

I'm going to a conference to meet author Kevin O'Malley--I can't wait!

Child-recommended, librarian-recommended. Buy this book!

I'm all about the illustrations when I read a children's book. This has excellent illustrations, in two competing styles, one comic-bookish, the other the classic fairy-tale look. It artistically hits the stereotypes of the young of both genders.

Additionally this is just a neat concept. A "He Said She Said" for the younger crowd. Something to appeal to all, and highlight what is enjoyed- at least by the average girl, or average boy.

Where it falls apart is where it misses the mark. It aims high, but doesn't quite reach. The story is juts too disjointed, and doesn't fascinate, teach, or pull at the emotions. The concept itself isn't fully played out. This would have been a better produced book if every page was by a different child, creating a spin on the classic story game. It would also have served the illustrations better if the poorly illustrated boy and girl telling the story weren't on the same page as the beautiful illustrations of the story. As it is, they are glaring, and detract from otherwise beauty.

This book was very funny. It was funny when the main characters fought back and forth about a story they were supposed to write together. It was supposed to be a fairy tale. They fought about the story because the girl wanted the story to be about a princess and the boy wanted the story to be about a motorcycle dude. The book has a clever solution to this problem.

Another cool thing about this book is the illustrations. There are three different illustrators for the three different plots going on.

We recommend this book for readers who like funny fairy tales, books with a little action and a bit of a twist.