Books with title Once on a Time

"But you have not read the best one." Milne was especially fond of Once on a Time, which he wrote during WWI. It is one of those "children's books" that children will enjoy almost as much as adults. In that respect, Milne compared it with Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. It is a fairy tale about two kings who bluster and stumble into a hilarious non-war, a princess who finds true love in an unexpected place, and a conniving, beautiful Countess whose poetry was stolen by Shelley. The plot is driven by a bent ginger whisker, seven-league boots, two cloaks of darkness, and stiff notes. The characters are three-dimensional; the satire is gentle and wise. There is whimsy in every minute.

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Jedi Academy books comes the first in a hilarious space-themed graphic novel series. Jide and Petra are just two normal kids until they are selected to leave Earth and join their new alien classmates on an intergalactic research mission to Mars. Too bad Petra has no idea how she ended up in the program, seeing as the closest she wants to get to space is being a sci-fi writer. Jide, on the other hand, is the brains of the mission, but his helicopter parents make it clear he hasn't left their gravitational pull behind quite yet.What is meant to be an intra-species bonding experience soon turns to hijinx as the kids discover The Potato orbiting around their new space classroom and accidentally launch a mission of their own without any adult commanders around to supervise--or help!From New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Brown comes an out-of-this-world adventure perfect for the astronaut-in-training in your life.

Spot all your favourite nursery story characters in this lively rhyming tale! "Nothing much happened round here," says the little boy to his dad at the end of the day. But the pictures tell a different story! Goldilocks, three little pigs, a wolf, a witch, Humpty Dumpty - all have paraded outside the little boy's window! So maybe it wasn't such a dull day after all...Each spread has six different cutouts to choose from. Just slot the one you want into the picture to create your own story - time and time again.

A struggling young reader triumphsThere is something worrying Sarie at school. Every time her teacher says, “Children, take out your reading books,” Sarie feels sick. The letters in the book all run together, tripping her up so that she stumbles and falters, and the girls in the back always make fun of her. Only Sarie’s old friend, Auntie Anna, seems to understand that letters and words can be difficult things to grasp. And it is Auntie Anna, with the help of a book from her own daughter’s childhood, who makes a unique Sunday ritual out of giving Sarie the help she needs, until the letters that were once her adversaries begin to seem friendly – just in time for Sarie to prove herself to the laughing girls at school. Niki Daly’s illustrations set Sarie’s tale under the vast and beautiful skies of the South African Karoo, and his encouraging story conveys the power and magic of a good book and the joy of having a good friend to share it with.

Fairy tales have entertained for generations. They have enchanted our dreams and charmed our fantasies. Let us take a journey through the alphabet as we meet the fascinating characters that inhabit those tales. Once Upon a Time is a collection of short stories telling about the tales of a selection of 26 different fairy-tale characters from around the world.

“This is an odd book” or so states the author in 1917 for his first introduction. A fairytale with seven league boots, a princess, an enchantment, and the Countess Belvane. As Milne wrote in a later introduction: “But, as you see, I am still finding it difficult to explain just what sort of book it is. Perhaps no explanation is necessary. Read in it what you like; read it to whomever you like; be of what age you like; it can only fall into one of the two classes. Either you will enjoy it, or you won’t. It is that sort of book.”

This book was written in 1915, for the amusement of my wife and myself at a time when life was not very amusing; it was published at the end of 1917; was reviewed, if at all, as one of a parcel, by some brisk uncle from the Tiny Tots Department; and died quietly, without seriously detracting from the interest which was being taken in the World War, then in progress.

- With numerous illustrations by Charles Robinson, were combined from 2 pages.Once On A Time is a fairy tale created by A. A. Milne (creator of Winnie-the-Pooh).Written in 1917, Milne's own introduction begins 'This is an odd book', and indeed it is very difficult to classify. Ostensibly a typical fairytale, it tells the story of the war between the kingdoms of Euralia and Barodia and the political shenanigans which take place in Euralia in the king's absence, all supposedly rewritten by Milne from the writings of the fictional historian "Roger Scurvilegs".Milne created the story to contain believable, three-dimensional characters, rather than the stereotypes which will satisfy children. Hence the book introduces us to a princess who is far from helpless; a prince who, whilst handsome, is also pompous and vain; an enchantment which is almost entirely humorous; a villain who is not entirely villainous and receives no real comeuppance; a good king who isn't always good; an evil king who isn't always evil, and so on. The result is a book which children may not enjoy as much as adults.The book was written by Milne partly for his wife, upon whom the character of the Countess Belvane was partially based.

Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are spending their summer as au pairs--for a royal family! When Jessica sees the beautiful European chateau where they'll be staying for the summer, she feels like she's living in a fantasy world--complete with a prince, a royal ball, and a guarded castle. Is there an evil stepmother too?Elizabeth adores her young charges at Chateau d'Amour Inconnu. The only problem child is Pierre, a 6-year-old who loves to hide from her. While trying to find Pierre one day, Elizabeth gets lost in a vast topiary maze on the castle grounds. What she discovers at the maze's end just might turn her wildest fantasies into reality!