The Other Side of the Story: Fairy Tales with a Twist

The Other Side of the Story

by Nancy Loewen, Tatevik Avakyan (Illustrator)

Thats NOT the way it was! say five characters from some of the worlds most beloved fairy tales. In reality, Cinderella wasnt the sweetest belle of the ball. She was an annoying chatterbox. Jack was a petty thief. And Little Red Riding Hood? Spoiled rotten! Its all about point of view. Pull up a chair, and get the full scoop straight from the mouths of the wicked stepmother, the giant, the prince, Baby Bear, and the wolf. Get the Other Side of the Story!

Genres: Childrens, Fairy Tales, Picture Books, Humor, Fractured Fairy Tales, Storytime, Anthologies

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Nancy Loewen grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, surrounded by library books and cats. She's published more than 140 books for children. FOUR TO THE POLE (co-authored with polar explorer Ann Bancroft) and THE LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN were Minnesota Book Award finalists. Her WRITER'S TOOLBOX series received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers.

Nancy lives in Saint Paul and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She has two adult children and a cat who sometimes bites her knees under the table as she writes.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to introduce POV to students.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella- Seriously, Cinderella is so annoying! Told by The Wicked Stepmother
Rather funny, and I like that the stepmother was not so wicked.

Little Red Riding Hood- Honestly, Red Riding Hood was rotten! Told by The Wolf
Another pretty interesting one with the whole thing being set off by the woof starving and colors.

The Three Bears- Believe me, Goldilocks rocks! Told by Baby Bear
I liked that Goldie and Red Riding Hood are friends in this one, and it all starts with a dare. Her and Sam becoming friends was cool as well.

The Little Mermaid- No kidding, mermaids are a joke! Told by The Prince
Well, that one was pretty sad... Still sea foam, but he doesn't believe it...

Jack and the Beanstalk Trust me,
Jack's beanstalk stinks! Told by The Giant
So, the giant is still a villian in this one, as he still eats humans. Not quite what I was expecting, but ok.

There are several modern day things, like cell phones and texting, in this as well as writing/ discussion prompts at the very end, one for each. This was pretty enjoyable. The art was pretty well done as well, and I think it would apeal to kids.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute collection of fairy tale stories, told from other characters than the traditional one. Sort of reflects modern day news. The news gives you what it wants you to know, but perhaps there is an entirely different side of the story they haven't told that would change how you see the story. In this case, it was very cute.

[Sarah Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found at a Thrift Store and was intrigued.
I’ve been reading this with my 4 1/2 year old son and while he’s enjoying the stories I’m laughing often at the twist and different perspective to the fairy tales we all know.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fairy tales told from the viewpoint of the "bad guy." There are much less violent than the originals and dissimilar from the Disney movies to be interesting.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that these stories are for children but I enjoyed them. They were certainly funny twists on old favorites!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun spin on classic fairy tales by looking at them from the other side - typically the villian's.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to read these versions of classic fairy tales told by the villians.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of 5 short stories is an excellent choice to read aloud when working with students on point of view. The illustrations are bright and eye-catching (and created by several different artists), and the stories are the perfect inspiration for student writers to use as "mentor" texts. This serves as a great reminder for them not to jump to conclusions without hearing "all sides of the story".

[Cyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fairy Tales with a Twist books are all interesting takes from the other side, for example Cinderella as told by the "Wicked" Step-mother. All of the ones I have read have been good (4 - 4.5 range). This compilation includes:
Seriously, Cinderella is so Annoying!
Trust Me, Jack's Beanstalk Stinks!
No Kidding, Mermaids Are a Joke!
Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks! and
Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never outgrown my love for fairy tales and got a kick out of this book. Hey! After all everyone has their point of view and its only fair that the other characters in these well known stories share their experiences.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations are very good. Stories are OK.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Red Riding Hood is my favorite. My 7 year old niece think the wolf is scary, yet she still reads it.

[Ann Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOD!!!!!!!!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can sum up The Other Side of the Story in one sentence: It's a cute little book and a very quick read

[Lauren Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book to teach kids about different perspectives. But I didn't think the stories were that good.

[Julie Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great....

I give this book a five star because it is great and of course because it is so FUNNY. I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope you do too....

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family enjoyed this book, interesting twists!