Lulabelle & Louise...and the Big Bad Wolf! {A Fairy Tale Book Review}

Good Day! And MERRY OCTOBER! :) I hope this finds you doing well!

Do you remember Lulabelle & Louise? The two darling little girls who would rather read 

than do just about anything else...(although they have been rather taken with dancing lately...)?

Well, I am happy to say that they are back today for another edition of...

But before I turn things over to them, let me give you a little background on what they are going to be discussing in today's post. Wednesday, September 24th was an early release day at Thomas Jefferson. Those of you who have been reading this blog for any good length of time will know what that means, but I will explain for the rest of you who have  no idea what I'm talking about. Basically, on an early release day, the children (for various reasons) get out of school early and get to spend nearly nine hours of their day with yours truly. (Just because the kids get out early doesn't mean the parents do, so SOMEONE has to watch over them!) I generally dislike early release days (a.k.a 1/2 days)...okay, I hate them. Particularly if the weather is bad and we are forced to stay indoors. Nine hours in a single day is a very long time to spend with 15+ kids. But even though I dislike 1/2 days, I know they come with the territory. And I've actually learned a trick that makes 1/2 days more bearable: HAVE A STRONG ACTION PLAN! Basically, I go into a 1/2 day with both barrels of my creativity gun blazing! This most recent 1/2 day was no exception. I had dubbed it: "Big Bad Wolf Day" or "Fairy Tale Day"! (I couldn't really make a final decision on a title...) We discussed the tale of The Three Pigs as well as Little Red Riding Hood. I broke out my copy of Hoodwinked and we watched it during snack time. Furthermore, I made a special trip to the Library and picked up several books that told these two stories in different ways. Since Lulabelle and Louise are such avid readers, naturally they were very curious to see how these two classic fairy tales could be told in different manners. The books, the movie, the crafts, and the 1/2 day as a whole really inspired me. And I ended up turning my usually small book review photo shoot into a MUCH BIGGER PRODUCTION! (I will be sharing those photos with you at another time.) But for now, I am excited to share our Big, Bad Wolf Book Review with you! :)

The first book we are going to review is: 

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague

(via)

Lulabelle says: "I like how the third pig is 'altogether un-pig-like.'"

Louise says: "I like the part when they all share their things. 

And when they got in the pool."

Secondly we have Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs 

Lulabelle says: "I don't like the part where the 3rd pig says, 

'And your old Granny can sit on a pin!' 

That is NOT nice! But I like the book otherwise."

Louise says: "I don't like when he knocks down the houses of the two bad pigs."

Then we read the "traditional" story of The Three Little Pigs by Andrea Petrlik.

Lulabelle says: "I like the part where the wolf learns his lesson at the end."

Louise says: "I like when he blows down the stick house better than the straw house.

'Cause that straw house is so beautiful!"

Then we switched to Red Riding Hood stories. 

We started with Urgency Emergency! Big Bad Wolf by Dosh Archer.

(via)

Lulabelle says: "I like how the title is so catchy!"

Louise says: "I like when Grandma pops out."

Next we have Red Riding Hood by James Marshall

Lulabelle says: "I like the part when the wolf convinces 

Little Red Riding Hood to pick some flowers."

Louise says: "I like the part where the hunter cuts open the wolf 

and carries Granny back to bed and Little Riding Hood comes out."

Thirdly, we read Little Red Riding Hood by Lisa Campbell Ernst.

(via)

Lulabelle says: "I don't like how the wolf is so sly when he's going to Granny's house."

Louise says: "I like the part where Granny says the things the wolf is supposed to say."

In general, Lulabelle & Louise and the other children and myself enjoyed all of the books we read. But hands down the most interesting books are the two I have saved for last. 

First, we have Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen

Lulabelle says: "I like at the very end of the book when the Big Bad Wolf says, 

'I'll stop first thing tomorrow.' That's funny."

Louise says: "I like the part where the Big Bad Wolf gets tied up the GOOD little wolf."

Now, I'm going to add my own thoughts about this book.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Obviously, I am completely up for reading different versions of classic fairy tales.

However, this one, well...I'm just gonna say it:

It was weird.

It opens with this adorable "good little wolf" named Rolf.

He is pleasant to be around and courteous to everyone he meets.

However, then he meets The Big Bad Wolf who is fascinated by at first sight.

The Big Bad Wolf attempts to train Rolf on how to be a big bad wolf.

He shows him how to howl at the moon.

Rolf tries unsuccessfully to do the same
 much to the frustration of the Big Bad Wolf!

Then the Big Bad Wolf tries to teach Rolf how to blow people's house in.

Again, Rolf is unsuccessful.

The Big Bad Wolf then tries to make Rolf 

eat Granny & Little Red Riding Hood.

This is where Rolf draws the line.

And instead of gobbling up Granny and Little Red,

he ties up the Big Bad Wolf with Granny's knitting yarn.
The Big Bad Wolf seems to experience a change of heart
after witnessing Rolf's act of compassion.
He sits down at the table with Granny, Little Red, and Rolf to eat
and discuss the possibility of changing his ways.
The following question is put to him,
"Are you going to stop eating people?"
The Big Bad Wolf answers, "I'll stop first thing tomorrow."
And promptly eats everyone else at the table.
THE END.

SERIOUSLY?!?! I will admit that I am a somewhat dark and twisty person (yes, that was a Grey's Anatomy reference), but I believe that ending was a bit TOO TWISTED for children. I don't know...it just kind of set me on edge. The kids seemed to enjoy the book, which in a way disturbed me further. I don't think I will be purchasing this book for my little darlings.

Now, to end this review on a happier note,

we read The Great Fairy Tale Disaster by David Conway.

No, your eyes are NOT deceiving you! That IS Little Red Riding Hood in the background...
Just giving you a taste of posts to come...:)

Lulabelle says: "I like where the wolf says, 'Oooh! Not again!'
 when he lands in the pot of hot water!"

Louise says: "I like the part where it says,

 'And before you could say 'Mirror, mirror on the wall,

who is the fairest of all?'

there was chaos and confusion everywhere!'"

And that, my friends, is a GREAT hook line for this book!

In a nutshell, this book tells the story of a big bad wolf

who is tired of constantly being foiled by the three little pigs.

Therefore, he decides to find a different fairy tale to star in.

But 'chaos and confusion' are literally EVERYWHERE!

And in the end he decides it's probably safer for him

to abide in his own story :).

As I have mentioned in other book reviews,

books with great illustrations are always high on my approval list.

And this book DEFINITELY wins the prize

 for Greatest Illustrations on this Book Review!

They compliment the story line well

and also call for greater perusal after the story has ended.

So in opposition to Good Little Wolf,

I have already purchased The Great Fairy Tale Disaster from Amazon.com

and am awaiting it's arrival any day now :).

What books have you and your kids been reading lately?

Any that I MUST ABSOLUTELY know about? :)

I'm always open to suggestions!

Thank you so much for visiting today!

I hope to see you back again for more reviews

by Lulabelle & Louise! :)