The End

LaRochelle, David. The End. Illustrated by Richard Egielski. Scholastic, 2007. 28 pages. $16.99. ISBN 9780439640114.

Summary:

“And they all lived happily ever after. The end.” Though a traditional way to wrap up a fairy tale, it’s a very unusual way to start a story! LaRochelle has written a backwards fairy tale featuring a dragon, knight, princess, and giant, that begins with “The End” and ends with “Once upon a time…” The form is clever and the story is one of many nested, causes and effects: a giant, who is so upset that his cook can’t make lemon cheesecake, throws a teacup in a tantrum; the teacup hits a tomato and knocks it off the vine, which then rolls down the hill and frightens the rabbits; the rabbits run into the cave where an artistic dragon is painting; he is so scared that he bursts into tears, whereupon a friendly knight decides to tickle him, etc. The title page, copyright page, and dedication page are also at the end of the book.

Curriculum Connections:

This text has lots of potential! I have used it to begin a Cause/Effect unit with first graders: they are delighted by the novelty of the “turned around” form of the story, then we retell it starting with the “Once upon a time” beginning. We define cause and effect and then talk about the ways that causes can actually become effects. We finish the lesson with an activity where children must sequence the events on their own, from the beginning to the end. It could also be an excellent text to use in the context of a study of fairy tales.

Personal Reflections:

The bold illustrations by Egielski make this title especially appealing and a great choice for reading aloud. Beyond the clever concept, this is a story that begs to be discussed with listeners.

Awards:

Age/Interest Range:

PreK-10

Genre/Themes:

Fairy Tale, Cause/Effect, Humor

Read-Alikes:

The book Previously (Ahlberg) is similar in its focus on sequencing and also features familiar characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes.