Where Fairy Tales Come From... ! Pinkalicious--Story Time by Victoria Kann

We were at the book fair.

I was going to meet my hero, Princess Plum. I have all her books.

The students wait eagerly but politely in line, and Pinkie can't wait to meet the beautiful Princess Plum and talk about her books. Finally Pinkalicious sees the sign she's been waiting for.

MEET THE AUTHOR

But there was a big surprise waiting for Pinkie.

Princess Plum is a man?

"I'm Syd Silver." the man laughed. "I'm the author."

Pinkalicious is amazed--and curious. She asks Mr. Silver if authors can write anything about anybody if they want to, and he tells her that he just made up the character of Princess Plum straight out of his own imagination. Anybody can do it if he or she just imagines it, he says.

When Pinkie got home after school, she couldn't stop thinking about what Mr. Silver said.

I decided to give it a try.

If Alice in Wonderland can believe six impossible things before breakfast, Pinkalicious can surely write at least that many new stories before dinner so that she can read them to her class on their "Meet the Author" Book Festival day. And she does, in Victoria Kann's beginning reader story, Pinkalicious: Story Time (I Can Read Level 1) (Harper, 2017). You don't have to be a princess to write a fairy story at all, Pinkie thinks. You don't even have to be a girl! Anyone can do it. Victoria Kann's pink-loving, improvising character is always ready to come up with a creative way to do what she wants to do, and this I-Can-Read Level 1 story is just the perfect story-starter and writing practice prompt for young readers.

For a pair of ready-for-school stories, share this one with Kann's Pinkalicious and the New Teacher.

Too Much of A Good Thing! Fairy Tale Frankie and the Tricky Witch by Greg Gormley

FRANKIE LOVES FAIRY TALES--REALLY, REALLY LOVES THEM.

SO ONE MORNING SHE WAS... REALLY, REALLY DELIGHTED TO FIND... A FAIRY TALE PRINCESS IN HER ROOM!

But there is no time for princessy niceties. She pleads for assistance.

"HELP ME HIDE! THE WITCH IS COMING!"

Frankie pushes the fairy princess under her bed, trying to stay calm. But just then a unicorn bursts into her bedroom with the same plea about a witch coming. Frankie crams the unicorn into her closet and closes the door firmly.

Then she hears some splashing in the bathroom and finds a mermaid trying to hide in the tub. Frankie draws the bath curtain shut, just as she hears a strange metallic clanking downstairs.

It's a knight, in creaking armor. Frankie aims him at the coat closet, pushing him back behind boots and overcoats until he is concealed. Then there's a king pounding on the door, looking royally scared. Where to hide him? All the good places are taken. Improvising instantly, Frankie puts him next to the sofa and shoves a lampshade down over his head.

But next a big frog leaps in, looking for a hiding place.

Fairy Tale Frankie is not just a follower of fairy stories; she's a fairy tale fanatic! But what is she supposed to do with this frog? She's certainly not going to kiss him! She opens the pantry and he jumps into a cereal box.

Then, with a KAZAM! the Witch herself appears with a screech!

WHERE ARE THE OTHERS? SHE DEMANDS!

Will Fairy Tale Frankie falter in the face of this frightening figure?

It's all in good fun, in Greg Gormley's Fairy Tale Frankie and the Tricky Witch (Aladdin Books, 2016). In its new paperback edition, Frankie finds out that she's just become part of a very-fairy-tale game of hide-and-seek. The frog comes forth to declare it's his turn to be IT and invites Frankie to play with them. This is a good-hearted look at fractured fairy tale fun, with the comic cartoon illustrations of Steven Lenton to keep the action light and jolly enough for the youngest fairy tale fan.