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An Undone Fairy Tale
Now, Ned and I admire how well you read. But the story will be ruined if you turn the page right now.
So please don't.
A beautiful pie-making princess is trapped in a tower. Can Sir Wilbur rescue her? And more importantly, can he do it while wearing a tutu? He's going to try! But if you read the story too quickly, Ned won't be able to make the pictures or costumes in time. And happily-ever-after may start to go a bit haywire.
Join Ian Lendler and Whitney Martin for a fairy tale that takes off into hilarious uncharted territory -- all because you won't slow down!
So please don't.
A beautiful pie-making princess is trapped in a tower. Can Sir Wilbur rescue her? And more importantly, can he do it while wearing a tutu? He's going to try! But if you read the story too quickly, Ned won't be able to make the pictures or costumes in time. And happily-ever-after may start to go a bit haywire.
Join Ian Lendler and Whitney Martin for a fairy tale that takes off into hilarious uncharted territory -- all because you won't slow down!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2005
1 person is currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Ian Lendler
20 books39 followersIan Lendler is, first and foremost, a person. After that, the details get a bit sketchy. We’re pretty sure he has two arms and two legs. There are rumors of a third thumb, which you may laugh about now but let’s see what you think 1,000 years from now when evolution decides that three thumbs is way better because you can use can-openers more efficiently and hitchhike with aplomb and everyone will laugh about the old days when everyone was a “two-thumber.”
But I digress.
I am a writer. I grew up in Connecticut and NYC, but now I live near San Francisco, CA. My books are below. I sincerely hope you enjoy them. Thank you for visiting.
But I digress.
I am a writer. I grew up in Connecticut and NYC, but now I live near San Francisco, CA. My books are below. I sincerely hope you enjoy them. Thank you for visiting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
May 10, 2011
Hilarious! The story begins rather like a typical fairytale, with a princess locked in a tower (because she makes the best pies in the land and her father will not part with her pie-making abilities) and lots of knights attempting to rescue her with no success. But, as you read, the author interjects--urging you to to slow down a little, because the illustrator hasn't quite finished the artwork for the next page yet. Of course, enthusiastic readers just can't quite bring themselves to stop, so turning the page reveals the "undone" part of the fairytale. The story progresses, but with some very amusing variations as the artist and author scramble to fill the void when the eager reader simply can't put on the breaks. (It all starts when the illustrator hasn't had time to finish his illustration of the king and has to put a donut on the king's head instead of a crown. The story/art "crumbles" from there!)
This could easily be a five-star book for many. I almost gave it five stars. It's very funny and creative. I could also see it annoying some people, but so it goes with humor. Definitely recommended to those who enjoy "fractured fairytales" and funny illustrations. Also, those looking for a take-charge princess won't be disappointed.
This could easily be a five-star book for many. I almost gave it five stars. It's very funny and creative. I could also see it annoying some people, but so it goes with humor. Definitely recommended to those who enjoy "fractured fairytales" and funny illustrations. Also, those looking for a take-charge princess won't be disappointed.
May 17, 2011
This is a brilliantly funny and very cleverly illustrated story.
It’s perfect for all independent readers, readers of all ages, particularly those who know the difference between the words knight and night, and also for insecure or struggling readers.
I laughed so many times, and it cheered me up from what was otherwise a significantly dark mood.
This book has an unusually unique melding of story and picture. And, the story ended up really working; it’s not just a gimmick. It’s hilarious and has some good things to say too.
I got such a kick out of this original and wacky fairy tale.
A huge thank you to Goodreads’ friend Kathryn for alerting me to this charming book.
It’s perfect for all independent readers, readers of all ages, particularly those who know the difference between the words knight and night, and also for insecure or struggling readers.
I laughed so many times, and it cheered me up from what was otherwise a significantly dark mood.
This book has an unusually unique melding of story and picture. And, the story ended up really working; it’s not just a gimmick. It’s hilarious and has some good things to say too.
I got such a kick out of this original and wacky fairy tale.
A huge thank you to Goodreads’ friend Kathryn for alerting me to this charming book.
January 20, 2018
If I had to choose the very best of the 'meta' picture-books out there, this would definitely be on the short list, right up there with The Monster at the End of this Book and Press Here. Even literal children, who know that books don't get changed while one is reading them, will get a kick out of pretending to try to slow down to give the illustrator a chance to get the next page done. And the thing that makes it a keeper is that the story itself, even disregarding the gimmick, is silly fun.
May 27, 2011
This cute, mad-lib style fairy tale tells two parallel stories, one of a princess is whose stepfather locks her up because he doesn't want to lose her pie-baking talents, and the other of Ned, the hapless artist who is trying to build/illustrate the story. Running out of time to complete the scenes, Ned starts throwing in whatever he has at hand: bananas for swords, his dog (with a snorkel and strap-on shark fin) for a sea monster, etc. The characters have to cope with these unexpected substitutions and missing pieces. Lots of humorous details and sight gags.
March 25, 2011
This is a hilarious take on the typical fairy tale. The back and forth conversation with the reader is highly entertaining and our girls laughed out loud the whole time I read this book. I find it to be a fun coincidence that we're also reading another book with a lot of conversation with the reader: A Tale Dark and Grimm. That's a very different story but the fun conversation has much the same effect of making the reader laugh. We really enjoyed this story and we've read it together a couple of times.
September 28, 2018
This was fantastic! If I weren't at the desk reading it, I would have had some great, long, loud laughs. The illustrations are great. The story is wonderful. And the idea of it all--absolutely hilarious! Not really one to read for a story time, but a great lap-sitting book or on one's own.
7/1/10 So, I was doing an "Out of the Ordinary" theme in school-age, because I love books that "speak" to the audience, etc. That go against the norm. And this one is one of my favorites in that genre. For some time I didn't think I'd be able to handle reading this in a storytime. Wouldn't it be too confusing? Could they get it? But I determined that the older children could. And then decided to use a British accent during the actual story part, and my normal accent in the interjections. I also, while doing the picture-panning, asked the audience if we should turn the page or not. All of these really helped and oh my word it was a FANTASTIC story for them! They loved it so much and I had such a great time reading it. Definitely takes longer (and I forgot to look at just how much time it took), but the school-age was the perfect group for it.
10/23/13 With only about 5 kids in my ST, they were just the right size to sit through this slightly longer book. I did British accent for story part, and Southern accent for the interjections. The kids followed along pretty well, though lowering or raising my voice on the interjections may also have helped. Still, the kids got it and enjoyed it. So accommodating, too, as by the end when the guy asked if they could finish the book later, half of the kids said "OK." :-)
9/24/18 We now own this book (thank you, Book Sale). SD read had Daddy read it for her bedtime book. He did fabulously reading, and she enjoyed it immensely.
7/1/10 So, I was doing an "Out of the Ordinary" theme in school-age, because I love books that "speak" to the audience, etc. That go against the norm. And this one is one of my favorites in that genre. For some time I didn't think I'd be able to handle reading this in a storytime. Wouldn't it be too confusing? Could they get it? But I determined that the older children could. And then decided to use a British accent during the actual story part, and my normal accent in the interjections. I also, while doing the picture-panning, asked the audience if we should turn the page or not. All of these really helped and oh my word it was a FANTASTIC story for them! They loved it so much and I had such a great time reading it. Definitely takes longer (and I forgot to look at just how much time it took), but the school-age was the perfect group for it.
10/23/13 With only about 5 kids in my ST, they were just the right size to sit through this slightly longer book. I did British accent for story part, and Southern accent for the interjections. The kids followed along pretty well, though lowering or raising my voice on the interjections may also have helped. Still, the kids got it and enjoyed it. So accommodating, too, as by the end when the guy asked if they could finish the book later, half of the kids said "OK." :-)
9/24/18 We now own this book (thank you, Book Sale). SD read had Daddy read it for her bedtime book. He did fabulously reading, and she enjoyed it immensely.
May 17, 2012
it was so silly
January 27, 2016
Such a funny kids' book. I really enjoyed it and I'm 27 haha!
March 6, 2008
This title is reminiscent of "The Monster at the End of This Book" in that a character keeps begging you to stop turning pages. In this case, the anxious narrator explains that Ned, the illustrator, is working as fast as he can, but he hasn't finished the illustrations yet.
Case in point: Sir Wilbur calls for his horse and armor, but Ned hasn't finished drawing them yet. All Ned has is some fish, and the only completed costumes are tutus, so, since you just will not stop reading so fast... the knights will just have to wear tutus and ride fish.
No time to draw a dragon--you're turning pages too quickly!--so substitute the closest thing poor Ned can find. A pretzel. Oooh! A fierce pretzel!
Which leads us to a sentence like this (which, I am confident in saying, has never been written or possibly even uttered before): "Suddenly a flock of pretzels flew down and melted the Popsicle walls into a rushing river that swept the pickles away and WHACK! the princess knocked the king into the moat and then...."
See what I mean?
Cute, funny, at times ridiculously silly, this one is sure to elicit lots of dainty giggles and downright guffaws from the K-2nd grade set.
My favorite page? Ned's dog, Trevor, with a shark fin tied to his head, pretending to be a shark. Fierce shark-dog, indeed.
Case in point: Sir Wilbur calls for his horse and armor, but Ned hasn't finished drawing them yet. All Ned has is some fish, and the only completed costumes are tutus, so, since you just will not stop reading so fast... the knights will just have to wear tutus and ride fish.
No time to draw a dragon--you're turning pages too quickly!--so substitute the closest thing poor Ned can find. A pretzel. Oooh! A fierce pretzel!
Which leads us to a sentence like this (which, I am confident in saying, has never been written or possibly even uttered before): "Suddenly a flock of pretzels flew down and melted the Popsicle walls into a rushing river that swept the pickles away and WHACK! the princess knocked the king into the moat and then...."
See what I mean?
Cute, funny, at times ridiculously silly, this one is sure to elicit lots of dainty giggles and downright guffaws from the K-2nd grade set.
My favorite page? Ned's dog, Trevor, with a shark fin tied to his head, pretending to be a shark. Fierce shark-dog, indeed.
October 5, 2012
What a hilarious book! An Undone Fairy Tale took a classic fairytale and gave it a comical twist. The story begins with a princess locked in a tower and needs rescuing. Many knights have attempted to rescue the princess in despair, but none of them had any success. Now here comes the twist, as the reader continues to read, the author jumps in and interacts with the reader, telling them to slow down because the painter (Ned) needs more time to complete his artwork. The readers, of course, continue to flip through the pages, and due to the lack of time, the illustrator rushes and begins creating random pictures (a donut on the king's head instead of a crown, a prince riding a giant fish, tutus in place of armor). At the end, the princess becomes impatient and rescues herself and her knight in shining...tutu? Because this book is so interactive, the children will definitely become curious and giggle their way till the last page is turned. This story is clever, humorous, wacky, and unique.
November 9, 2018
What starts off as a traditional fairy tale with many handsome suitors attempting to rescue a beautiful princess, quickly takes a hilarious turn in An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lendler (illustrated by Whitney Martin). When Ned, the man who paints the pictures for the unraveling story, gets overwhelmed from the audience’s speedy reading, he must improvise to create the scenes quick enough to keep up. As a result, the knights must wear tutus and ride on fish to slay what would have been the dragon if he wasn’t busy taking a shower, so instead is an evil pretzel! Read An Undone Fairy Tale to find out what other twists Ned will create in the nick of time to create a story just for you.
This story is so much fun to read with children in primary grades because it has age appropriate humor that they think is hilarious. I love reading this story, along with other twisted tales, as a part of my fairy tale unit and then having students write their own versions of a traditional fairy tale. The kids are so creative and their tales are a blast to read!
This story is so much fun to read with children in primary grades because it has age appropriate humor that they think is hilarious. I love reading this story, along with other twisted tales, as a part of my fairy tale unit and then having students write their own versions of a traditional fairy tale. The kids are so creative and their tales are a blast to read!
June 20, 2008
The book starts out as a nice fairy tale, but keeps getting interrupted. See, Ned, the illustrator, can't keep up with the reader's pace and continually begs the reader to slow down and not turn the page yet. As a result, Ned is forced to alter his work to keep up: the knights have to wear tutus and ride fish into battle because that's all Ned has ready; the dragon is in the shower and is replaced with a pretzel. The mix of fairy tale and speaking to the reader is well-done and humorous.
I loved this book! And the 8 and 3-year-olds I read it to loved it as well. The fairy tale is original(ish) and the parts directed towards the reader are hilarious. Fun all around and a great read.
I loved this book! And the 8 and 3-year-olds I read it to loved it as well. The fairy tale is original(ish) and the parts directed towards the reader are hilarious. Fun all around and a great read.
March 21, 2011
From cover to cover the book seems unfinished but it is completely finished in its own way. The illustrations were great, the image of the person actually illustrating the pages was creative and interesting. I enjoyed the narrator at the bottom of the page telling the reader to wait and also telling the reader that they are a great reader. This book would appeal to young readers because of the humor and also the appraisal that is recieved by the narrator. This story is a complete twist of what normal fairy tales are and i think tha is what makes it interesting.
April 9, 2017
The book An Undone Fairy Tale would be categorized as a traditional tale, more specifically a fairy tale. The reasoning is because of its traditional folkloric characters that are featured. The beginning starts with a princess locked in a tower and throughout the book there are knights, princes, and dragons. The book is based on a “once upon a time” setting with that being the opening line of the book. The is definitely a modern and quirky fairy tale, but has all the essentials to qualify as a traditional fairy tale.
May 16, 2012
My class laughed so hard reading this book. What a refreshing twist on a fairy tale! My students were begging me to turn the pages pages when Ned, the illustrator, was telling us (the readers) not to. I loved that the heroine was the princess. Turns out she helped the prince out!! Yippee!!!
September 17, 2019
As an artist I can say that the story of the artist doesn't make any sense. Why would he have time to paint one silly thing and not one logical thing? It doesn't make sense and I don't like the second story within the story.
September 17, 2019
Just...no......an so on. Very confusing and unattractive to kids... no fan service or way to relate to these characters.
March 13, 2013
it was funny because he keeps telling you not to turn the page and u turn the page
March 19, 2013
it is a funny book
March 19, 2013
I enjoyed reading this with my third grade students. They thought it was silly and enjoyed the positive comments about them being fast readers. Cute idea!
September 27, 2021
The title of this book is accurate and very fitting to the concept of the story. It begins like every usual and common fairytale, but the “illustrator” Ned has not quite finished creating the pictures for it. Ned procrastinates each scene. What was supposed to be just a simple story of a knight rescuing a princess turns into a hilarious, imaginative, and random mess! At one point, I was reading too fast for Ned and even though I was told not to turn the page, I did anyway. As I flipped to the next page, I was surprised to see a dragon in the shower. Apparently, the dragon didn’t know he was going to be needed in the scene this early! The dragon needed to be replaced and the only thing that Ned could find was a pretzel. How great is that? One of the tasks Sir Wilbur was assigned to complete in order to rescue the pie-making Princess was to slay the dragon, but instead he and his fellow knights had to slay a pretzel. Did I forget to mention that Ned also wasn’t able to get horses and the costumes for the knights to wear completed in time? This meant that the knights ended up wearing tutus while riding fish to slay the pretzel. What an engaging and laugh-out-loud book. I highly would recommend this to readers that enjoy a fun fairy tale and a good old belly laugh.
If I were to use An Undone Fairy Tale to create a lesson, I would have students complete an organized story map. This story map would include taking note of the setting, characters, beginning, middle, and end of the story. Considering there is so much happening in this book, I would think it would be quite difficult for students to comprehend what exactly is going on.
If I were to use An Undone Fairy Tale to create a lesson, I would have students complete an organized story map. This story map would include taking note of the setting, characters, beginning, middle, and end of the story. Considering there is so much happening in this book, I would think it would be quite difficult for students to comprehend what exactly is going on.
January 12, 2020
As a father of three daughters I like the idea of post modern books like this one, as it helps show girls they can be the hero too. There are two plot lines going on in this book at the same time. The first one is about Ned who plays the role of the illustrator for the story, but he can not keep up because the reader is reading to fast. So, scenes and other props for the characters in the other plot line are not finished. Ned is self-referential in that most of the time his dialogue is directed at the reader asking them to slow down and to not turn the page so he can finish painting the scene. In the other plot line there is a princess who is a great baker that everyone wants to marry. Her step dad only likes her because of her baking skills. She just wants to be rescued as the typical damsel in distress always does. However, eventually the princess flips the script, escapes on her own, leads a battle, and ends up also rescuing the prince instead of the prince rescuing her.
This could be used in the classroom as a mentor text for students who were writing a post modern story that required self-referention. This book does a good job of providing a model for self-referential with Ned as it is really obvious when he speaks to the reader, is aware of his own existence and what his role is in the book.
This could be used in the classroom as a mentor text for students who were writing a post modern story that required self-referention. This book does a good job of providing a model for self-referential with Ned as it is really obvious when he speaks to the reader, is aware of his own existence and what his role is in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2020
Ian Lender and Whitney Martin take readers on an adventure through not only a fairytale with a twist but bringing readers into the journey of their thoughts as they try to quickly catch up and draw the illustrations.
A princess with a baking talent is locked in a tower is forced to stay and make the king he goodie treats. Like all fairytales, many brave knights have tried to rescue her, but none prevail. Then, Sire Wilbur arrives, the most famous night, but as he arrives the story is interrupt by Ned, the painter of the scenes in the story. As the readers continue to read, Ned has to keep up with the story, but must make sacrifices in the details of how Sir Wilbur will rescue the princess. Will he be able to rescue her with a tutu instead of knight and shining armor?
This book is a hilarious twist in fairytales. This is a great tool to use when introducing fractured fairytales and comparing it with more traditional one. This postmodern book also has elements in which the author is directly talking to the audience. Students are able to make their own interpretations of the authors reasoning and purpose. With the switch in font from storyline to narrator, students are able to discover ways to incorporate their own humorous side into their own fairytales! In the end, this book is a great teaching tool of enjoyment- kids will LOVE reading it with you!
A princess with a baking talent is locked in a tower is forced to stay and make the king he goodie treats. Like all fairytales, many brave knights have tried to rescue her, but none prevail. Then, Sire Wilbur arrives, the most famous night, but as he arrives the story is interrupt by Ned, the painter of the scenes in the story. As the readers continue to read, Ned has to keep up with the story, but must make sacrifices in the details of how Sir Wilbur will rescue the princess. Will he be able to rescue her with a tutu instead of knight and shining armor?
This book is a hilarious twist in fairytales. This is a great tool to use when introducing fractured fairytales and comparing it with more traditional one. This postmodern book also has elements in which the author is directly talking to the audience. Students are able to make their own interpretations of the authors reasoning and purpose. With the switch in font from storyline to narrator, students are able to discover ways to incorporate their own humorous side into their own fairytales! In the end, this book is a great teaching tool of enjoyment- kids will LOVE reading it with you!
December 11, 2019
Another one of my childhood favorites. Still pick this up in the library sometimes and when I volunteered at the library I would put it on display. It still remains a fun read and underrated when compared to other children books
October 30, 2019
Starting off as a twist on regular princess fairy tales, the story quickly takes a turn of events that will have kids laughing throughout the story. From donut crowns to swimming dogs, the author and illustrator have done a wonderful job with dynamic written text and detailed images filling the pages. Some pages have a slight border, allowing the reader to look through a scope into the "royal" life while others do not have any border immersing the reader into the hilarious, adventurous story. The author switches his voice into second person and directly addresses the viewer saying things such as "The story will be ruined if you turn the page." I can just imagine myself reading this to a group of young children and them being very entertained by this style of writing. Lastly, there are times not only the words are split between page turners but also images! Great book!
November 1, 2019
“Don’t turn the page!”
Sound familiar? This book reminded me a lot of the classic Little Golden Book, “There’s a Monster at the End of This Book.” Which I adore, so this was fun too!
The poor artist can’t get the pictures done quickly enough so he has to substitute all sorts of ridiculous things to keep the story going. The crown on the King’s head has to be substituted for a doughnut. The knights’ armor have to be substituted for ballerina tutus. And the dragon is in the shower so a pretzel will have to be the ferocious beast instead.
It was a funny, cute story.
Sound familiar? This book reminded me a lot of the classic Little Golden Book, “There’s a Monster at the End of This Book.” Which I adore, so this was fun too!
The poor artist can’t get the pictures done quickly enough so he has to substitute all sorts of ridiculous things to keep the story going. The crown on the King’s head has to be substituted for a doughnut. The knights’ armor have to be substituted for ballerina tutus. And the dragon is in the shower so a pretzel will have to be the ferocious beast instead.
It was a funny, cute story.
October 29, 2019
First, the book has a painter on the cover: a mysterious tower surrounded by water. Take a painterly approach.
When I first started reading, I thought it was a boring story about a prince rescuing a princess trapped in a tower. But then an illustration of a knight in a ballerina dress being held by a princess made me laugh. I think it's a great story and I will read it to my students and teach them that girls can be strong.
The style of painting appears humorous, color is very soft, is a very good fairy tale.
When I first started reading, I thought it was a boring story about a prince rescuing a princess trapped in a tower. But then an illustration of a knight in a ballerina dress being held by a princess made me laugh. I think it's a great story and I will read it to my students and teach them that girls can be strong.
The style of painting appears humorous, color is very soft, is a very good fairy tale.
October 30, 2019
This was a funny book that encourages the read with their ability to read. I would totally give this book to a second grader who isn't so confident in their reading ability. I think it would boost their confidence and make them laugh a lot. I enjoyed all the ways it tried to make you stop reading and how it would give deadlines like "come back in 4-5 weeks!" This book is an Undone fairy tale after all!
October 30, 2019
The book had the best humor! Although, it is meant to be a classic fairytale, it keeps getting interrupted in a humorous way. I really enjoy how engaging it was by incorporating the conversation with the reader and illustrator which brings the reader into the book. Such a unique and humorous book. In conclusion, I would recommend this post modern picture book for young children!
October 30, 2019
This book is a cute take on the classic princess fairy tail. The author and illustrator break the wall and talk directly to the reader to create a divide between the story and the reader. I think this technique would make kids want to read it more. I liked the illustrations because they were unique and kind of all over the place.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews