• Introduce students to the concept of folktale elements. Explain that sometimes, when stories become predictable, authors like to write new versions that have the same elements, but those elements are the opposite of what we expect, are wildly exaggerated, or are light and silly.
• Ask students about the things they usually expect to find in fairy tales. Who are the characters in fairy tales? What do they act like? What usually happens in fairy tales? How do fairy tales begin and end? Who usually wins the conflict in a fairy tale? Are most fairy tales predictable or unpredictable? 

Preview the Book

• Give students their copies of the book and have them look at the cover and read the title. Talk about the cover illustration. Ask them what they think might happen in the book.
• Turn to the copyright page and have students read the blurb at the top of the page. Give them a sense of the age of this story and tell them that it is part of a larger book. If they like this story, they may be able to go to the library and find more by the same author.
• Turn to the table of contents. Have students read the chapter heads. Ask them what the chapter heads tell them about the story. Why would there be a chapter head called "The Hero's Unbelievably Clever Solution"? Encourage students to see how these titles point out the predictable parts of fairy tales and make fun of them. 

Word Attack Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies if they encounter difficult words:

• Reread the sentence, paragraph, or page.
• Look for known prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
• Use context clues to help understand meaning.
• Keep reading and think about what might make sense.