[.ca] Once Upon a Time (ISBN 0744594278)

From Amazon.co.uk:
In Once Upon a Time, renowned children's illustrator Nick Sharratt has devised an interactive, irreverent take on the traditional fairy tale. Children will enjoy creating their own imaginative versions of the story by slotting the different tabs into the colourful pages. Choose what happens to the beautiful princess when she encounters a magic fairy/duck/toilet who grants her three wishes. Her choices range from a modest dress/computer/pencil case to marrying a prince/pop star/frog. The possible combinations mean that the story can be as conventional or as silly as you like--it's never the same story twice! Ages 4 upwards. --Alison Drury

PRINCESS FUN:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess storybook that changed every time a child opened it. This short-and-sweet candy-colored board book comes with 36 press-out pieces that let you choose a different picture for each spread, thereby changing the story each time it's read. Because it's really half story and half game, it provides interactive possibilities that never end. It's an absolutely perfect fantasy book for little girls age 3-6 in the throes of the imaginative "princess phase." Learning to read doesn't get any better than this.

Entertaining, interactive and interesting:
There is something unique and special about this book. As a volunteer who reads one-on-one to preschoolers, I have observed that, when choosing from an array of age-appropriate books, the children, boys and girls alike, invariably choose "Once Upon A Time" as the story they want to hear first. They love being able to make the choices that will make "their story" unique. They expand their vocabulary as they learn to identify unicorns, dragons, and tree houses. They can add to their early reading skills by naming the letters or even reading the words on the cut-out pictures. They learn that when the story is over, it's best to return the cut-outs to their well-marked places so they'll all be ready for the next reading of the story. And, perhaps most importantly, the story becomes a backdrop for thought-provoking conversations such as, "what would YOU wish for if a "magic duck" granted you three wishes?" This book goes far beyond its fairly simple story and concept. I wish there were more interactive books of this genre for this age group.