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Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings!
This funny, original choose-your-path picture book of fractured fairy tales will charm any young fan of the genre, putting the power of storytelling right in the reader's hands!
Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes.
Turn the page and begin: Which story will you choose?
Award-winning creators Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat transform a crowd of classic tales into an ever-changing, fascinating, laugh-out-loud choose-your-path picture book, in which you may find a sleeping maiden, waste away in a sticky licorice cage, discover the gold at the end of a wild goose chase, or maybe (just maybe) save yourself—and the day!
Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes.
Turn the page and begin: Which story will you choose?
Award-winning creators Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat transform a crowd of classic tales into an ever-changing, fascinating, laugh-out-loud choose-your-path picture book, in which you may find a sleeping maiden, waste away in a sticky licorice cage, discover the gold at the end of a wild goose chase, or maybe (just maybe) save yourself—and the day!
92 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2022
34 people are currently reading
1121 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Snyder
37 books803 followersLaurel Snyder is the author of six children's novels, "Orphan Island," "Seven Stories Up," "Bigger than a Bread Box," "Penny Dreadful," "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains OR The Search for a Suitable Princess" and "Any Which Wall" (Random House) as well as many picture books, including "Charlie & Mouse," "The Forever Garden," "Swan, the life and dance of Anna Pavlova," and "Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher."
A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Michener Fellow, she also writes books for grownups, and is the author of a book of poems, "The Myth of the Simple Machines" (No Tell Books) and a chapbook, "Daphne & Jim: a choose-your-own-adventure biography in verse (Burnside Review Press) and the editor of an anthology, "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes" (Soft Skull Press).
Though Baltimore will always be her home, she now lives happily in Atlanta.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Michener Fellow, she also writes books for grownups, and is the author of a book of poems, "The Myth of the Simple Machines" (No Tell Books) and a chapbook, "Daphne & Jim: a choose-your-own-adventure biography in verse (Burnside Review Press) and the editor of an anthology, "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes" (Soft Skull Press).
Though Baltimore will always be her home, she now lives happily in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews
September 8, 2022
Glorious pairing of beautiful art and hilarious words that guides the reader through endless permutations of the Little Red Riding Hood story. My 10yo loves to have me read this to him, with him choosing the option on each page, and we have yet to see them all! The art is fabulous, the poems are fun and they scan, we're all big fans, and I have a feeling I'm going to be buying more copies for teachers and family this Christmas!
June 16, 2022
Third graders, we are going to have sooooo much fun with this book.
April 28, 2022
This is good for the right child. It is a little more frightening than I expected. I was eaten by wolves and attacked by the three pigs and died in two of my choices during my first few attempts at choosing my own fairy tale. This is not for an easily frightened child. The format is fun and unique. Santat makes wonderful pictures even of scary wolves. I did enjoy it, but there are children that I immediately thought don't give that to this child.
May 17, 2022
This lavishly illustrated choose-your-own adventure book will appeal to elementary-aged students through adults. Although it looks like a picture book, the humor is geared towards older kids, and some of the illustrations and story elements are quite scary. This leans into some of the morbid elements of the fairy tales it riffs on, while also creating new plot lines that tie them together.
The author designed this very well, and there are a multitude of different paths to take. I read them all, and I enjoyed the book, but the rhyming text is very stilted at times. The style fits with the fairy tale theme, but some of the lines are so forced that I think this would have been stronger in regular prose.
The author designed this very well, and there are a multitude of different paths to take. I read them all, and I enjoyed the book, but the rhyming text is very stilted at times. The style fits with the fairy tale theme, but some of the lines are so forced that I think this would have been stronger in regular prose.
July 14, 2022
This picture book is written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Dan Santat (2022). It's a clever mashup of fractured fairy tales and the Choose Your Own Adventure book series that many of us enjoyed as kids.
Endlessly Ever After starts as a type of Little Red Riding Hood story, but some of the choices lead you to encounter characters from Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Three Little Pigs, and The Golden Goose. Out of the 17 different endings, 6 are positive, 7 are negative, and 4 combine both positive and negative elements.
Overall, I think the book is well done. My one quibble is that it's in rhyme. I've noticed that too many authors of picture books write in rhyme, as if anyone could pull off the Dr. Seuss thing. However, as Professor Philip Nel demonstrates in The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats, Seuss was a perfectionist who went through multiple drafts of each rhyme. His work is unparalleled.
Endlessly Ever After starts as a type of Little Red Riding Hood story, but some of the choices lead you to encounter characters from Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Three Little Pigs, and The Golden Goose. Out of the 17 different endings, 6 are positive, 7 are negative, and 4 combine both positive and negative elements.
Overall, I think the book is well done. My one quibble is that it's in rhyme. I've noticed that too many authors of picture books write in rhyme, as if anyone could pull off the Dr. Seuss thing. However, as Professor Philip Nel demonstrates in The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats, Seuss was a perfectionist who went through multiple drafts of each rhyme. His work is unparalleled.
April 21, 2022
So much fun! Love this idea for younger kids
July 11, 2022
Fun illustrations and enjoyable kid-friendly twists on fables! Super fun and worth the time.
July 12, 2022
One of my favorite 2022 picture book releases. Caldecott 2023 worthy!
August 22, 2022
Lily and I had so much fun reading this together!! ❤️❤️❤️
June 3, 2022
First sentence: Your mama shakes you out of bed. She says, "My darling dear, you need to run to Grandma's quick! She's feeling ill, I fear. Now take this cake, to cheer her up, and have a lovely day. But mind the path! For danger tends to lurk along the way."
Premise/plot: This picture book is a choose your own adventure fairy tale. Readers become "Rosie" the heroine of more than a dozen (honestly I did NOT count so don't hold me to that) fractured fairy tales. The first decision you, dear reader, must make is whether to wear the RED CAPE or the faux fur coat. But that is just the beginning of the decisions readers are called upon to make. Some story threads end quickly--very, very quickly. (For example, one decision has you heading straight back to your own house to try again another day!) But beware, not all decisions end happily ever after. In fact, quite a few end up with you (the reader) dying.
This choose your own adventure book begins like Little Red Riding Hood, but how it ends is up to you. Plenty of paths borrow from other fairy tales. (So many fairy tales!)
My thoughts: I'm still not sure if I explored EVERY path of this one. I tried. I think if I had a print copy in hand instead of an e-book (library checkout), I'd have made sure I tried EVERY SINGLE path. Clicking the links worked way better than I thought, to be fair. But it's just hard to keep track of every crossroad. Usually I read choose your own adventure books with a notepad and pen...and a handful of paper scraps. I mark each crossroad, I plot out every possible combination. (I sometimes indicate which paths lead to quick ends.)
I liked this one. I did. I really loved the creativity of it. I enjoyed the text, for the most part. It was entertaining. I could see how this one could be appealing to kids in various situations--at home and at school. I could see this being great to read on your own OR great to read aloud, just parent-and-child. I could see this being fun to add to your home library or your classroom library. Fairy tale units are still a thing, so this could be a fun addition.
I didn't personally love the illustrations. That is not a deal breaker for me.
Premise/plot: This picture book is a choose your own adventure fairy tale. Readers become "Rosie" the heroine of more than a dozen (honestly I did NOT count so don't hold me to that) fractured fairy tales. The first decision you, dear reader, must make is whether to wear the RED CAPE or the faux fur coat. But that is just the beginning of the decisions readers are called upon to make. Some story threads end quickly--very, very quickly. (For example, one decision has you heading straight back to your own house to try again another day!) But beware, not all decisions end happily ever after. In fact, quite a few end up with you (the reader) dying.
This choose your own adventure book begins like Little Red Riding Hood, but how it ends is up to you. Plenty of paths borrow from other fairy tales. (So many fairy tales!)
My thoughts: I'm still not sure if I explored EVERY path of this one. I tried. I think if I had a print copy in hand instead of an e-book (library checkout), I'd have made sure I tried EVERY SINGLE path. Clicking the links worked way better than I thought, to be fair. But it's just hard to keep track of every crossroad. Usually I read choose your own adventure books with a notepad and pen...and a handful of paper scraps. I mark each crossroad, I plot out every possible combination. (I sometimes indicate which paths lead to quick ends.)
I liked this one. I did. I really loved the creativity of it. I enjoyed the text, for the most part. It was entertaining. I could see how this one could be appealing to kids in various situations--at home and at school. I could see this being great to read on your own OR great to read aloud, just parent-and-child. I could see this being fun to add to your home library or your classroom library. Fairy tale units are still a thing, so this could be a fun addition.
I didn't personally love the illustrations. That is not a deal breaker for me.
January 23, 2023
Holy Mogoly! This book is just amazing! I started this book over and over again and every time, I got a different outcome. It truly was one terrific book. If you love children’s books, love fairy tales, love twisted stories, or just love choose your own path stories, this book is for you.
Let me start by saying that this is an oversized children’s book which provides the reader with some pretty fantastic illustrations. The faces and the drama that occurs in this book falls right into your lap as you open this book. When the author says “ENDLESS VARIATIONS” they definitely mean it. As I read this, Little Red Riding Hood ran into characters from other Fairy Tales including Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Jack, Snow White, the wolf, a witch, a goose, some piggies, and a grandma.
Little Red is headed to her grandma’s with a cake, Rosie as she is known in this story needs to pick out a coat to wear. Does she wear her favorite red cape or a cozy faux fur coat? This first choice will have you turning to page 6 or page 20. What will it be?
If you chose the red cape, you (Rosie) find a wolf waiting on the path. Oh, no! He looks ornery and he starts asking you lots of questions. You (Rosey) wish you’d never seen him or talked to him. But now what do you do? Go back home and start over tomorrow or continue on your journey?
If you chose the cozy faux fur coat, you’re (Rosie)skipping along but you soon notice a different house on the path. Do you knock and meet these new neighbors or do you continue on to grandmas?
You never knew what awaited you when you turned the page on this book. Was it is a good choice or a bad choice? I thought that each time I created a new story, it wasn’t a short, senseless story but it was fun. I enjoyed making all the choices that I got to make and the illustrations were amazing and they really helped make each story great. I can’t say enough about this book except you have to read it – you really do!! 10 stars+++
Let me start by saying that this is an oversized children’s book which provides the reader with some pretty fantastic illustrations. The faces and the drama that occurs in this book falls right into your lap as you open this book. When the author says “ENDLESS VARIATIONS” they definitely mean it. As I read this, Little Red Riding Hood ran into characters from other Fairy Tales including Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Jack, Snow White, the wolf, a witch, a goose, some piggies, and a grandma.
Little Red is headed to her grandma’s with a cake, Rosie as she is known in this story needs to pick out a coat to wear. Does she wear her favorite red cape or a cozy faux fur coat? This first choice will have you turning to page 6 or page 20. What will it be?
If you chose the red cape, you (Rosie) find a wolf waiting on the path. Oh, no! He looks ornery and he starts asking you lots of questions. You (Rosey) wish you’d never seen him or talked to him. But now what do you do? Go back home and start over tomorrow or continue on your journey?
If you chose the cozy faux fur coat, you’re (Rosie)skipping along but you soon notice a different house on the path. Do you knock and meet these new neighbors or do you continue on to grandmas?
You never knew what awaited you when you turned the page on this book. Was it is a good choice or a bad choice? I thought that each time I created a new story, it wasn’t a short, senseless story but it was fun. I enjoyed making all the choices that I got to make and the illustrations were amazing and they really helped make each story great. I can’t say enough about this book except you have to read it – you really do!! 10 stars+++
April 30, 2022
Vivid, fill the page, watercolor illustrations by Laurel Snyder and fairy tale twist ups that will keep you and your child busy for days upon days trying out new variations on classic stories. Snyder’s art and Santat’s creative new possibilities make truly innovative paths through Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstack, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Three Little Pigs. Parts of the tried and true stories will be recognizable, but the differences outnumber the familiar! There are some dire endings at times, but none are truly dark deaths. With the gorgeous art and the seemingly endless story paths for readers to choose, children from 1st grade and up into junior high will be entertained, although younger readers will need help with navigating the “if this, then turn to page …” directions.
Thanks to Patti at PermaBound for the gift of this book at Texas Library Association 2022.
Thanks to Patti at PermaBound for the gift of this book at Texas Library Association 2022.
May 28, 2022
This is a rhyming fractured fairy tale version about Little Red Riding Hood (Rosie) told in a choose-your-adventure format. Laugh out loud funny twists and turns of a number of familiar stories make this a delightful romp through the fairy tale tropes. Although it can be enjoyed by readers unfamiliar with the stories, it is an absolute hoot for those who know the stories well. However, the humor at times can be gently macabre since Rosie often makes unwise choices that lead to a grisly death. Due to the violence this is not for the highly sensitive or very young, but very entertaining for everyone else.
May 24, 2023
Such a fun and inventive “choose-your-own-adventure” fairy tale picture book! At the end of pretty much every spread, you’re offered a choice and a corresponding page number to go to to find out what happens next. I read through all the pages eventually, but my first choices led me to getting home safely and also saving two other children, which I am inordinately proud of, especially after reading the other endings and seeing that death happens in many of them. Such a fun, fun book with lots of different stories in it and beautiful illustrations. The rhymes were pretty good too. Definitely recommend.
April 24, 2022
So much fun! Spent a rainy Sunday afternoon choosing my own path from 85 pages of magnificent storytelling and engaging illustrations. The classic characters and storylines (Red Riding Hood, Big Bad Wolf, 3 Little Pigs, Snow White, and MANY more) transform into an ever-changing adventure that will have readers laughing out loud and turning page after page to change their destinies.
A must buy for my classroom library.
A must buy for my classroom library.
September 23, 2022
Goodness - what an awesome book in the pick your own adventure genre. Rosie is the main character who has many choices; of which not all of them end up happily-ever-after, either! Clever to pull in other fairy tale characters, too. It was fun choosing whether to be obedient Rosie or adventuresome Rosie. Better for an older child, I think.
February 27, 2025
The setting: An hour before dismissal on a day before a day off school.
The characters: 23 fourth graders...
The situation: ENTHRALLED with the book. Scream-bargaining with their friends to change their vote for their preferred choice. Had me read at least 8 paths. Yelled "AWWWW" when I had to leave.
The stars: 5
The characters: 23 fourth graders...
The situation: ENTHRALLED with the book. Scream-bargaining with their friends to change their vote for their preferred choice. Had me read at least 8 paths. Yelled "AWWWW" when I had to leave.
The stars: 5
April 11, 2024
Amazing. Everyone household (with or without kids) needs a copy of this!
April 18, 2025
I loved this book so much!
May 11, 2022
A lovely choose your adventure set in our favorite fairytale! A great book for 6-8 year olds.
May 11, 2022
This is so fun and my kids are loving their ability to choose the direction of the story.
April 24, 2022
This was so fun! I read this with my kids and we did several paths each night and it still took us 4 days to get to all the endings. There are so many more possibilities than I thought there could be in a book of this length. As always, Santat’s illustrations are amazing. We really had fun with this. I highly recommend it!
March 21, 2022
Oh my gosh there is so much to love about this book! It's a choose-your-own adventure picture book -- 85 pages of such wonderful storytelling and vibrant illustrations. My 6 and 8 year old are loving this so much and want to read it again and again, making different choices along the way to see if they get a new storyline. There are just enough variations to make it interesting and invite children to revisit it again and again; and, there are enough choices where it will take awhile before they start to really memorize "oh, the wolf eats Rosie if we go that way!" It's so fun and wonderfully inviting.
The illustrations are perfect for the fairytale genre, but modernized and include an inclusive cast of characters. The storylines use familiar characters and fairytales -- the big bad wolf, the three little pigs, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel. This book take a hilarious and unique take on those fairy tales, too, so children will be delightfully surprised with what they encounter and what choices they are presented with!
The lyrical rhyming text also makes this out to be a nice book to read aloud. My one complaint is that some pages have a LOT more text than others so it doesn't always feel in-rhythm when you are reading it. You might have a lot of words to read before your child gets to make their choice on which page to turn to next, and if you read this a lot that might get a little tired.
Overall, I feel this is wonderful, unique, and kid-approved!
**Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Chronicle Books. Opinions are my own.
The illustrations are perfect for the fairytale genre, but modernized and include an inclusive cast of characters. The storylines use familiar characters and fairytales -- the big bad wolf, the three little pigs, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel. This book take a hilarious and unique take on those fairy tales, too, so children will be delightfully surprised with what they encounter and what choices they are presented with!
The lyrical rhyming text also makes this out to be a nice book to read aloud. My one complaint is that some pages have a LOT more text than others so it doesn't always feel in-rhythm when you are reading it. You might have a lot of words to read before your child gets to make their choice on which page to turn to next, and if you read this a lot that might get a little tired.
Overall, I feel this is wonderful, unique, and kid-approved!
**Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Chronicle Books. Opinions are my own.
September 6, 2022
This "pick your path" book has Little Red Riding Hood going on numerous adventures, some of which end well, and some of which end with her, well, not quite so alive. Endlessly fun and amusing; and with fantastic illustrations by Caldecott-award winning Dan Santat. His illustrations are larger than those in many picture books, since this one is over-sized, and they convey the action, hilarity, or solemnity of the scenes with panache.
July 3, 2022
Clever stories in prose. Pick-your-own-adventure fractured fairy tales. Perfect for reluctant readers, or any readers, to be honest. Traditional literature doesn’t get its fair shake with my MG readers, so this will be a welcome addition.
May 19, 2022
A fun, choose your own adventure fairy tale with rhyming text and a little dark humor. Not for the faint of heart / easily scared due to some of the endings (literally the end of Rosie aka Red Riding Hood). If you make it to the actual last pages of the book, the narrator points out that no matter your path in life -- adventure or stay home -- it's your choice.
April 29, 2022
I love ‘choose your own adventure’ style books! This one is beautifully illustrated and has a nice flow to it with a few rhyming lines of story followed by the options on where to take the story. I can’t wait to read this one with my nieces and nephews!
May 4, 2023
Unique, exciting, interesting...had me hooked until the very age-INappropriate, lesbian/pedophile part. Heck to the no. Going to the trash (jk, the library).
August 12, 2024
I know you know your classic fairytales: Red Riding Hood, Snow White, the Golden Goose, Sleeping Beauty, the 3 Little Pigs, and Hansel and Gretel.
Okay, now mash them all together and go on a journey through Storybook Forest with your guide Rosie.
Which way will your story turn?
There are plenty of (literal) dead-ends. There are also some very humorous picks. There may be some new friends along the way, at least I think they're friends.
Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat give kids a fun, twisted, You Choose adventure picture book through the beloved fairytales. They don't shy away from the scarier villains like the Big Bad Wolf (he's kind of terrifying in this book, not gonna lie), the Evil Queen or the Candy-House witch.
The illustrations blend the humorous moments perfectly. Rosie's expressions combined with some of the dead-end choices are laugh-out loud funny.
Ultimately, like any You Choose story, the overwhelming message that Snyder conveys well, it is YOUR choice, resonates with the overwhelming theme of fairytales.
A fun read for classrooms for 3rd or even 4th Graders;
Okay, now mash them all together and go on a journey through Storybook Forest with your guide Rosie.
Which way will your story turn?
There are plenty of (literal) dead-ends. There are also some very humorous picks. There may be some new friends along the way, at least I think they're friends.
Laurel Snyder and Dan Santat give kids a fun, twisted, You Choose adventure picture book through the beloved fairytales. They don't shy away from the scarier villains like the Big Bad Wolf (he's kind of terrifying in this book, not gonna lie), the Evil Queen or the Candy-House witch.
The illustrations blend the humorous moments perfectly. Rosie's expressions combined with some of the dead-end choices are laugh-out loud funny.
Ultimately, like any You Choose story, the overwhelming message that Snyder conveys well, it is YOUR choice, resonates with the overwhelming theme of fairytales.
A fun read for classrooms for 3rd or even 4th Graders;
October 15, 2023
Adult me and child me don't like the use of endlessly as a relative term; it's an absolute and so of course not true here. The stories are fine. The main appeal is the gimmick, the art, and the fact that it's oversized. I had more fun than I thought I would with it, but I still want more. Yet there were enough funny bits and other reasons to like it that I do recommend it if you're already interested.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 341 reviews