I've read the original, and this is an honest adaptation. The illustrations aren't fancy & pretty, but they suit the tone of the tale just fine. I love that Zelda looks like a Court Jester - in other words, a Fool. Anita, Benita, and Bob are adorable fairies.

The text is a little long for toddlers, but it moves right along and should engage even restless children who are a little older. ( )

A lazy girl named Zelda is in for a surprise when her normal routine is changed forever. Raised by her mother the Royal Baker, Zelda has always been different. Zelda does not enjoy helping and makes it her mission to never lift a finger in the castle. When the Queen comes to the kitchen one day, Zelda's mother knows she must help her daughter out and tell the Queen she is a hard worker just like her. The Queen takes note of this and uses Zelda to spin thread. Zelda thinks that she will be able to just not work like always and that the Queen will forget about her request. When the Queen returns to check her progress she is in for an eye opener, Zelda soon realizes that she may be in a lot of trouble if she does not spin the Queen's thread. Fearing for her life, Zelda gains help from three fairies under one condition, they are invited to her wedding and introduced as her cousins and uses them to spin for her. The Queen so impressed with what she thinks is Zelda's work, so she has her son married to her. At the wedding when Zelda introduces her "cousins" to the prince and they tell him they look like they do because they are spinner of thread he is convinced that she cannot turn out like them and must be removed from her position. The Queen complies and puts her in a new position because she knows how much Zelda loves to work, the Royal Baker Zelda.
I thought that this was a clever book that showed how life and change in an instant. This was a good story with many unfamiliar aspects but also some familiar ones. I thought that this was a quite funny and ironic book as well, the ending was perfect and just pulled the story around. ( )

This is the story of a little girl who refuses to do any work - she would rather be catered to by her hard working mother. When she manages to get in the queen's good graces with the help of a big lie told by her mother. The queen needs the help of 3 fairies to get out of her predicament. Exaggeration is used in this story a lot. Zelda complains about work and exaggerates about how hard a job is to do or how boring it is. She talks about how hot, sticky, and messy things are. Imagery is also used in this story. The author describes the jobs that the fairies are doing for Zelda to the point where I can picture what they are doing. The story is a twist on several familiar fairy tales - with a somewhat happy ending, although the little girl wouldn't say so. ( )

This is a story about a lazy girl who tries to lie her way out of work. Zelda is a very lazy girl, who will do just about anything to get out of working. When her mother tells the Queen how much of a hardworker Zelda is, the Queen becomes estatic. She tells Zelda if she can spin three rooms full of flax into fine thread she can marry the Prince. Zelda doesn't really believe the Queen will make her work and is shocked when the Queen comes to check on her progress. Fearing that she will be sent to the dungeon, Zelda finds help from three fairies. They offer to help Zelda spin the flax into thread as long as she invites them to her wedding and introduces them as her cousin. The Queen is overjoyed when all three rooms are filled with thread. Zelda and the Prince get married. At the wedding, the Prince notices how ugly the three fairies are. When they are asked why they look the way they do, they all reply it is from spinning flax. The Prince begs his mother to let Zelda off the hook and she will no longer have to spin the flax. The Queen reluctantly agrees, and has Zelda become the Royal Baker, because she knows how much Zelda loves to work. ( )

This book tells such a good story! So typical, too! I did LOVE the ending the most. Her beautiful mother got to rest, and she became the royal baker, haha. Lazy people and their stupidity, pfft! ( )