The End

by David LaRochelle, Richard Egielski (Illustrator)

"Once upon a time" takes on a whole new meaning in David LaRochelle's hilarious backwards collaboration with Caldecott winner Richard Egielski.

"...And they lived happily ever after."

So begins David LaRochelle and Richard Egielski's wacky original fairy tale THE END, which traces the courtship of a handsome knight and a beautiful princess . . . backwards! Before you reach the beginning, you'll meet a temperamental giant, a beleaguered cook, a dragon who's scared of bunny rabbits, an oversized tomato, and an impish figure on a flying pig who just might be the cause of all the madness. It's a conventionally perfect and perfectly unconventional take on the fairy tale -- guaranteed to convert the Grimmest reader to giggles.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Storytime, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Humor, Dragons

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2006

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I wasn't sure about this story. I loved it, but got nothing but puzzled looks from students when I tried it with them last year. This year, I've been having a great time with it--sharing it as my beginning of year read-aloud with all my classes. The older students get as much of a kick out of it as my younger ones--though I will admit that I had to do a little editorializing, asking them what you were if you were "soggy" or "clever" and making goofy asides about how I knew they might be thinking that rabbits aren't scary, but that they might be a little scared at first too if one-hundred bunnies hopped into their room all of a sudden. It makes a great story to use with discussions about how stories usually progress--a beginning, a middle and an end-- get a taste of predicting, AND looking at things from a different cause and effect perspective. Yep--all this in one funny picture book. When I get to the end of The End, I tell the story again backwards (which is actually right-way-round)--really fast--going through the pictures--so they can see the progression from "Once upon a time" to "the end." Usually when I ask which way they liked the story best (back to front or front to back) they pick "backwards!" Fun, fun, fun. This story is one of the nominees for the 2009-2010 Volunteer State Book Award.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno. The concept is cool, and the artwork has a certain odd something interesting going on, with lots of vibrant action... but the story turns out to be kinda, erm, random? I just didn't like it nearly as much as I wanted to.

In fact, 2.5 stars rounded up because maybe the problem is simply that I've been having trouble channeling my inner child lately.

[Rfrancik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book Fantasy

This book lends itself to read alouds for K-3 on a number of levels. The repeating phrase "because.." allows students to participate in the telling as well as make predictions about why an event happened. It is also valuable when explaining the elements of a genre. Typical fairytales begin Once...(let chldren finish this sentence) and ending "they lived....(let children finish this sentence as well. Students can also point out the pictoral elements that make a typical fairytale prior to reading the story. This makes a great read aloud and allows students to retell the story in the end.

Also reviewed by:
Booklist starred (January 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 9)) who also saw it as a way to get children to think about story elements perhaps freeing them to tell stories in their own unique way.
Horn Book (May/June, 2007)
Felt the illustrations "galloped off the page" ensuring students would read the book over and over. I wasn't as excited about the illustratons as Horn Book.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun "Memento" style storytelling, but with significantly fewer murdered wives. Bright, unique and full illustrations with a lot going on. As an adult rereading these over and over it's nice to have small things hidden on the page you might not have noticed the first four or five times.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was okay. I liked the intricate illustrations!

[Olivia Rullman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically, The End is a delightful beginning to understanding the cause and effect principle for young readers. The author uses slap-stick style humor and elaborate illustrations to engage a reader from page to page. The story starts with the famous fairy tale line, "And they lived happily ever after...", and then proceeds to unravel, in reverse, the events leading up to the endearing ending...or beginning, I guess. The love story between the soggy knight and clever princess involves big characters such as the great green dragon, one hundred bunny rabbits, and even an enormous rolling tomato! This humor would be best suited for readers in grades 1-3. Children at this grade level would benefit from the cause and effect principle/theme of the story. Other themes in the book include love, survival, perseverance, and overcoming hardship. I most appreciated the humorous, silly, and out of the box reactions that the author shares. They make for an entertaining story with laugh out loud surprises!

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made my five-year-old daughter aghast--"you're starting at the wrong end!"

2025...My four-year-old says "But look, on this page, the teapot is broken, but on this page"—turning to the next spread—"it's not broken."

Yes. That's because on the next page, the teapot isn't broken yet. It's backward, remember?

And then he's abashed at having forgotten the integral detail.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute concept. Starts with happily ever after and works backwards.

[Selena Quinones · Rating 4 out of 5]

LaRochelle begins his book the way most books end then works the story backwards. Throughout the book the reader is finding out the causes of the ending as opposed to reading the effects. It is definitely a unique style of writing, however I found it to be interesting. The illustrations were very vibrant and fairytale like with bright colors to attract the readers attention. This book could also be used to help students understand that everything has a cause by taking then back through a series of events.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has all of the trappings of a fairy tale except that it is actually told backward. It begins with the happily ever after and ends with the incident that led to the beginning- if that makes sense. This would be a fun read aloud for younger students, especially due to the pattern text. It would also be good used in conjunction with books like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie to look at cause and effect. I wasn't a fan of the style of illustration though that is just a matter of preference.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairy tale told in reverse. The story starts with the end, then moves backward one event at a time, stating that each event happened because of the event that led to it. This would be great for cause and effect. The nicest part is that the story wraps itself around to the beginning unexpectedly when the event that started everything in motion is due to exactly what resolved it in the end. Clever. Great for use in a writing lesson.

[Hannah Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is so clever and kind of feels like a fun game to read. The illustrations are so unique and there’s so many fun details to notice on each page. The vibes are just so strange in a way I’ve found compelling since I first read it as a kid. I also love to go back and read it backwards after each time reading it, so it’s just one of those books that keeps my attention for a while.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book! It is definitely unique and has pretty cool pictures. It allows kids to think of what could happen before the page turns and would be a good book for pausing and having students respond to what they think will happen. A pretty simple read.

Trait: Voice
ATOS: 3.5
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[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp of a fairy tale, only backwards. A chain of events explained in reverse order. The story is simple, but the events are unexpected, and perfectly silly for its intended readers. Kids will get a good giggle out of it.

[Carolyn Wilhelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End! 
This book begins with the ending and tells the story backward to the beginning.  David LaRochelle is an author who visits schools presenting books and stories for students.

Children enjoy hearing the story backward.  Then, it can be read backward -- which is forward! Fun!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very funny. A fairy tale told backward, in which the reader gets to see a chain of events in reverse. I loved the tomato rolling down the hill. I also loved the beginning, which was at the end.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with the first graders at the end of the year and gave them the book mark page to color (from the publisher?). We thought it was a lot of fun. lots to see in the illustrations.

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book where the end is the beginning.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has potential to be a fun read aloud, but don’t love the artwork. The babyish giant is so odd looking. I found the artwork a bit distracting.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is backwards, complete with the title page at the end. Each page follows the format: _______ because ______, making it great for teaching cause and effect or prediction.

[Annie Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story, creatively told! I read this to a group of young kids at a library event, and they all enjoyed it. This would be a good book to use with a lesson on cause and effect.

[Morton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spare Writing Style; Detailed illustrations; Funny tone (Appeal terms from NoveList) Holds - Rebekah

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever. The story is told backward.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story in reverse, all planned by the princess.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quirky tale told from end to beginning with really wonderful illustrations.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book helps to teach cause and effect and helps us look for the why thing happen instead of simply looking at what happened.

[Mh Weyler]

I found this one comical, although I am not sure a young child would grasp the humor as much. It turns fairy tales around and writes the tale from the end to the beginning.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever.

[Laurie Etchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever story that starts at the end and takes you back to the beginning. Great to use when talking about plot.