The team behind Duck for a Day presents a clever picture book that pokes fun at bears, fairy tales and the way a tale can overtake even its own author.
"Hi I'm Ella, and this is my book," the story begins. "You can tell it's a book because there are words everywhere. Words like Once upon a time and Happily ever after and The END." Ella knows everything about the book, and "there are NO BEARS in it." But the pictures tell a different story. A bear in a bee-patterned tunic reads behind a dumpster and peers in from the side of a page--always out of Ella's view. In her book, Ella plays the part of the princess and summons a fairy godmother--"But NO BEARS." No bears in the castle; no bears in "the deep, dark forest in the faraway lands." When a monster tries to capture the princess, the bear borrows the fairy godmother's wand and plays the silent hero.
Rudge plays with the framework of the spiralbound book Ella's writing, sometimes confining the scene to those pages, and other times spilling outside of them. Ella remains convinced that NO BEARS appeared in her story: "Not one!" But readers know differently. Youngsters will enjoy catching sight of Rapunzel, the three pigs and other classic characters, as well as the Owl and the Pussycat, who ferry the monster across a river. This funny, witty picture book is a great conversation starter about the structure of fairy tales and the role of the narrator. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness