The One-Stop Story Shop

PreS-Gr 1–This charming picture book shows how friendships can sometimes be forged in the most unlikely of ways. A knight decides to visit the One-Stop Story Shop, with “Wigs, wands, characters, plots, and MORE,” when he learns that the dragon he intended to slay has gone on vacation. How else is he going to finish the magnificent battle he has envisioned? The shopkeeper tells him that he is completely out of dragons, but he suggests that a ferret could be a feisty target for slaying. When the knight is dubious, the shopkeeper gives the knight a series of adventures with the ferret, in locations as vastly different as outer space and under the ocean. Although the initial outing is a bit underwhelming, the relationship between the knight and the ferret starts to change. After the second adventure, the knight is no longer talking about slaying the ferret, but rather the ferret is talking excitedly about the quest they are taking together. Soon the ferret is suggesting they are friends, and the two find themselves battling an angry octopus—together. The illustrations are replete with numerous fun details, and the language is playful and full of alliterative touches. Further, kids will enjoy finding the shopkeeper’s pink robot that keeps popping up throughout the adventures.