IPPY Silver Award

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Northern Lights Book Award

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"You Crack Me Up: Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales" Book Lists, Cybils

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Who's Writing This Story?!

By Robin Newman

Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

 

Have you ever wondered who's the real boss of a story? The writer or the characters who live to tell the tale? Or both together?

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Follow the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf as they argue with the writer over what kind of story to tell. Will the hero become the villain? Find out in this fun introduction to the essential components of all great stories.

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"This self-aware picture book turns “The Three Little Pigs” on its head. A writer starts writing the traditional story but keeps being interrupted; the pigs and the wolf have other ideas for the plot, setting, and their characters. In the end, the foursome decides they don’t need the writer at all; they write her out in favor of their own high-flying happy ending. This charming title is a subtle primer on storytelling, introducing children to the essential building blocks of the craft."

— Foreword Reviews

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"Everyone's heard of the Three Little Pigs, but author Robin Newman puts a delightful spin on the pigs' tale by having the characters in the book interrupt the writer of the story as she's trying to tell it her way, as each character wants to tell the story from their own point of view. It's a fun and interesting look at how easily a story can change just by telling it from another perspective. (Ages 7-11)"

— Midwest Book Reviews

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"'The writer' is composing what seems to be a traditional 'Three Little Pigs' retelling...but the animals from the story keep appearing in her office and demanding changes to the plot, characters, and setting. Cartoony art, often using graphic-novel conventions, is just the right match for the silly text of this amusing metafictive picture book with a side of story-element review."

— Horn Book Review