Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker: A Peek-Through Story

PreS-Gr 2—When Lucy's dog, Mr. Barker, becomes bored with the story she's reading him and leaps out a peek-through window, the pair soon find themselves inside different fairy tale scenes. From the home of the Three Bears, they seek refuge with the Three Pigs. They then find themselves in the Giant's home atop Jack's beanstalk, later in Sleeping Beauty's bedchamber, then hurrying past a gingerbread house in the forest, and finally back in Lucy's room, safe from bears, a wolf, a giant, and a disgruntled fairy. Upon entering each new scene, Lucy asks, "Where are we?" Knowledge of the tales represented in this book will greatly enhance children's enjoyment as they follow the characters and join Lucy in saying, "Oh! I know where we are," even before a page turn reveals the answer. Sharp youngsters will notice that the poster in Lucy's room in the opening scene contains a foreshadowing of the tales she will encounter, and subsequent charming watercolor illustrations are filled with details that will help identify those stories. There are plenty of visual jokes to entertain adults reading the story aloud as well. For example, a sign in the Three Bears' home reads, "Home is where the porridge is," and the knobs on the stove point to "too cold," "too hot," and "just right."