Once Upon a Time by Niki Daly

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Once Upon a Time was written by Niki Daly. This book is 32 pages long. It was published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books in August 1st, 2004. But this book was first published in 2003.[1]

Summary

The story tells about a young girl named Sarie, she is a rural South African girl, dreads reading aloud in school, words on the page "tripped up her tongue. She stuttered and stammered over them." Everyone in class underestimated her except Emile, who reasons that the ringleaders are jealous because Sarie is "as pretty as a princess." The elderly Auntie Anna, who lives across the veld, entertains Sarie in her rusted out car, which sits comfortably on the dirt without its wheels. She and Sarie pretend to drive it far away. Shortly after Sarie controls her fears about reading to Auntie Anna, Sarie finds a battered copy of Cinderella in the back seat of the car, and with the old woman's help, she reads it aloud. Auntie Anna makes a comparison that Sarie is a Cinderella and identifies Emile as her prince, and back at school, Sarie reads and "the words poured out as clear as spring water.[2]

Pros

This is a wonderful tale about a young child who finds it very difficult to read aloud in class. With the help of a very imaginative neighbor (and a lot of practice), Sarie learns to become more fluent and comfortable in front of her class. The narrative is heartwarming and really shows how a person can really impact the life of a child. The illustrations are colorful and realistic and depict life in the South African Karoo. This story teaches how this little girl finds her strength and motivation to finally could read the words.[1]

References

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Once Upon a Time. Retrieved January 24th, 2021
  2. ONCE UPON A TIME. publishersweekly.com. Retrieved January 24th, 2021