An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lender, illustrated by Whitney Martin

This is a cute picture book that naturally caught my eye, as you can imagine.  It's the story of a princess who needs to be rescued -- and it's also the story of the painters and builders and animal-wranglers that are desperately trying to get everything into place before you turn the page, and could you please come back in a week or so when they have everything finished?

But naturally, you turn the page and find things half-finished, and quick substitutions of whatever materials were on hand, and unpainted backdrops, and cast members unprepared.

The fairy tale itself spins in unpredictability, given that all the necessary props -- fire-breathing dragons, horses, and even the royal crown -- weren't ready on time.  The book itself is great for kids who are learning about the different ways to tell the same story, and is fun for those of us who study or love deconstruction of traditional tales: it just takes the concept a bit more literally than normal.