Gr. 3-5. A girl and a boy create a fairy tale in this lively picture book. The girl starts first, with a story about a princess and her eight ponies, while the boy interjects comments: "Please . . . don �t call [the pony] Buttercup." When the boy has had enough, he steps in with a sword-wielding, motorcycle-riding hero who battles a giant, while the princess is assigned the boring job of making thread. Fed up with these developments, the girl delivers the final plot twist, turning her princess into a warrior who sends the giant scurrying back to his cave. The fun in this picture book comes in the contrasting styles of the illustrations, which include contributions from Carol Heyer and Scott Goto. The girl �s story features bright colors, flowers, and long golden locks, while the boy �s story is done in the dark, taut-muscled style of comic books. Throughout, O �Malley depicts the girl and the boy^B reacting to the twists of the plot. A funny take on the age-old battle of the sexes, with an ending suited for the new millennium. Todd Morning
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