Mixed Up Fairy Tales: Split-Page Book

My 6yo son loves this. He had a mixed up people book as a toddler (similar to the misfit games you can get), and had asked for another one. However this is much more suitable for a 6yo and so much fun. There are 4 strips on each 'page' and plenty of pages to keep little imaginations and sense of humours happy! Two months after he received it, I am still finding he has been reading it when he wakes up in the morning. We have had no end of giggles the stories created: Cinderella up the beanstalk being chased by the three bears before being turned into something - or thereabouts! This should get much higher acclaim than it does - i stumbled across it completely by accident! The only slight negative would be that the strips inside are quite long and the pages are spiral bound so I am just waiting for the day when one gets accidentally ripped.

This is a wonderful creative book for children to assist in their imagination. I bought this for my niece when she was just two and half, she enjoyed turning the sections over, but it didn't mean a lot to her, she just enjoyed the pictures. However it was the first book to always be chosen at story time. Now at four, she joins in with the pictures she recognises, and giggles at the prospect that someone might get eaten by an apple, or that a pumpkin can turn into a handsome prince. It is fun for the whole family when there is a little one there, not only does it make entertaining fun to hear the short descriptions, but watching the child's reactions is great fun. My neice doesn't know all the fairy tales yet that it relates to, but loves it all the same. I am sure that even with the knowledge of how they should be told, this will just add a further layer for her fun and imagination.

I took this into a Reception classroom last week and they made me show it to them every day whilst falling about laughing. It works like a game of consequences with split pages that turn to show lovely pictures and simple sentences that make mixed-up fairy tales. We enjoyed the silly combinations and looking for the correct stories. This is perfect for a child who is becoming an independent reader to look at independently and an invaluable part of a teacher's toolbag. I'm tempted to buy a second copy to dismantle and laminate as I'm sure they'd work really well as cards to encourage story wrtiting.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this... I didn't read enough reviews to piece together a picture of what it was, so I'll try a brief summary for those (like me) who just look at recent reviews... The book is spiral bound, with each 'page' being split into 4 'strips' (so each 'page' is actually 4 pieces of paper). Each section has a picture and word (eg. 'Cinderella') or short sentence (eg. 'ended up marrying'), hence you end up with 'mixed up fairy tales' when you change one or more of the 4 sub-sections. I suppose a bit like the old 'Misfits' game, where you'd mix a nurse's head with a sailor's torso and so on. You end up with very brief precis of a tale, rather than a typical story, so to some extent its more of a game than a bedtime story. There aren't actually that many combinations, especially when children like to match the background colours on the 4 'strips'. My two year old doesn't really get it, but quite amusing (for a while!) for the adults, could possibly encourage reading, and the 5 year old loves it.

This is actually going to be a Christmas gift for one of my children, when I can decide who the recipient is - because I think they would all enjoy it! Some of the possibilities are hilarious and will really appeal to children's sense of fun. My older 2 are just about reading independently and I look forward to seeing the story combinations they come up with. Essentially, each page has about six lines of a fairy tale and is divided line by line. You can flip over individual lines and end up with something like Cinderella climbing a beanstalk and a whole plethora of consequences. Excellent way to encourage imagination and independent reading as well as good fun

I got this as an extra resource as my class are doing a Fairyland/fairytale topic and we've read a range of different fairy tales. The children all enjoy identifying which stories are being used. They love making up the silly fairy tales on their own and then sharing them with the rest of the class which are been met with great hilarity. The illustrations are great and the different font styles and sizes add to the visual interest. I plan to get a copy for my niece when she's a little older and knows more fairy tales as the joke is lost if the child doesn't know any of the stories.

We have had so much fun with this book, it cost under a fiver, I don't know of anything at that price would entertain children of all ages. With its split page book, you can mix & match as much as you like, it's funny hearing Cinderella eating porridge at the bears house. It also encourages them to read & think of things for themselves. I gave it 5 stars, for the reasons mentioned & the fact delivery was swift.

Children find this book hilarious. Such a simple idea and it can be read so many ways - and finding the original versions of the tales can be fun too. Great book!