Once on a Time

Once On A Time is a fairy tale by English writer A. A. Milne. Written in 1917, Milne's introduction begins "This is an odd book". Milne created the story to contain believable, three-dimensional characters, rather than the stereotypes which will satisfy children. Hence the book introduces us to a princess who is far from helpless; a prince who, whilst handsome, is also pompous and vain; an enchantment which is almost entirely humorous; a villain who is not entirely villainous and receives no real comeuppance; a good king who is not always good; an evil king who is not always evil, and so on. The result is a book which children may not enjoy as much as adults.