Henry's Once Upon a Time Book

"They're not fairy tales... Every story in this book actually happened."

- Henry to his birth mother

Henry's Once Upon a Time Book, commonly referred to as Henry's Book or simply The Book, is a magical item featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.

Trivia

 * -|On-screen Notes=

On-Screen Notes

 * There are some stories that do not exist in the book such as Frankenstein due to unknown reasons. Henry theorized that Dr. Frankenstein's story is not in the book since he does not originate from the Enchanted Forest as the other people in the book do.
 * However, the books does in fact contain images from other realms: Alice and the Caterpillar, and the Mad Hatter, in Wonderland, Dorothy Gale and the Flying Monkeys in Oz, and an illustration of Mount Olympus.
 * The walls and floor on the storybook page with the door, which Henry finds, have the same design as the inside of Jefferson's hat.

Stories

 * The book includes the following fairytales and stories:
 * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, chapter 14: The Winged Monkeys
 * Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, chapter IV: "The Rabbit Sends a Little Bill" and the opening of chapter V: "Advice From a Caterpillar"
 * "The Golden Bird"
 * "Snow-White and Rose-Red"
 * The Adventures of Pinocchio, chapter 3
 * The Charles Perrault version of "Cinderella"
 * "King Thrushbeard"
 * "The Queen Bee"
 * "The Water of Life"
 * The Water-Babies, chapter IV


 * The book contains the following original stories:
 * From the events of "Pilot":

The Queen paced back and forth, filling the [illegible word - presumably "audience"] with fear as she declared her evil [four illegible words; presumably "intentions to the king-"] dom. "Soon, everything you love, everything [illegible/page ends; presumably "all of you"] love, will be taken from you. [illegible/page ends; presumably "And from your"] suffering, will rise my victory. The Queen [image ends] to face Charming and Snow. I shall [illegible/page ends; presumably "destroy your happi-"] ness if it is the last thing I do. Having made her wows, the Queen [image ends] to walk away. But Charming [image ends] Queen's threat go unanswered [image ends] threw it at the evil woman. [image ends] her, however, the Queen [image ends] smoke. The sword hit [image ends] Queen was gone.


 * (The rest of the page, contains an excerpt from the fairytale of "Snow-White and Rose-Red".)

The Queen then turned to [image ends] shall destroy your happiness [image ends] Having made her vows [image ends] to walk away. But Charming [image ends] Queen's threat go [image ends] threw it at the evil [image ends] her, however, the Queen [image ends] smoke. The sword [image ends] Queen was gone. [image ends]

P    rince Charming [illegible word] the Evil Queen's Dark Knights, fighting his way towards the wardrobe Gepetto [sic] had fashioned, the one that would carry Emma to safety. In one hand, the Prince held his sword, slicing [illegible adverb] at his enemies, while in the other he held his newborn baby girl, clinging to her for dear life. Having vanquished the knights, Charming opened the door to the magical dresser. Tears in his eyes, the Prince placed Emma inside the small opening. "Find us," he said, and kissed her on the forehead. Charming closed the door to the dresser, knowing that this would be the last time he would see his beloved baby for twenty-eight years. But deep down, the Prince knew that this was the only way. He had to let Emma go in order to save her. He also knew that one day, Emma would return to save them all. As Charming closed up the dresser, he was [illegible word] ambushed by two unforeseen Dark Knights. The Prince tried to fight them off, but they proved too formidable for him. One of the knights pierced Charming's stomach with his sword, and the Prince fell to the ground, [illegible word] death. The knights checked inside the wardrobe, only to [image ends] [three illegible words] [image ends] happily ever after. The end!


 * From the events of "Snow Falls":

[image begins]ny woman [image begins] Prince [image begins]know who she [image begins] agility, cun- [image begins] woman. And [image begins]ce the mud is [image begins] on the idea [image begins] Prince leaps [image begins]e on the [image begins]w he must [image begins] his armor [image begins] the dagger [image begins]al for battle, are [image begins] oot chase. And the thief is so [image begins]ne seems to glide over the foliage and [image begins]ppear into the thickets. As the Prince moves deeper into the forest the trees [image begins]ock out the sunlight. The woodland creatures whisper [image begins]eir echoing songs. They are on her side, he thinks to [image begins]mself. She is companions with the wild. Perhaps she's [image begins]scendant of wolves. Of unwanted children abandoned in the [image begins] only to be adopted by the most terrifying of beasts [image begins]ised in the traditions of hunting raw [image begins] This is who she could be he decided, and knew

[image begins]oneome [image begins]bits and other [image begins]s. He discovered [image begins]nd most importantly [image begins]cks of a person living [image begins]o a woman. He followed the [image begins]ent oak trees where they suddenly [image begins]or a moment he was bewildered and [image begins]sort of magic this woman-bandit could [image begins] Prince searched til nightfall when hope of [image begins]g his family's treasures finally began to leave [image begins] Until he spotted something strange. A light. Small, [image begins]ickering, unnatural. The lights seeped between the bark of an oak tree, making it seem as if there might be fire inside it. But there was no smoke. No great heat from the massive trunk. He realized this must be it. The perfect hiding place for a bandit − almost in plain sight. But the pack also contained rope and netting for setting traps. And if the Prince worked carefully and used his material properly. For a moment he was bewildered and wondered what sort of magic this woman-bandit could posses.

[image ends] This thief was quick and [image ends] [three illegible words], it was that she [image ends] place inside and out... and he did not. [illegible word] Prince would charge through the front door only to discover that she had fled through a secret back door. He would need a better plan. And as he gazed skyward, the Prince noticed a sturdy tree limb extended directly over the entrance to the hideaway. It gave him an idea. Inside the Prince's travel pack was a number of useful tools, from daggers and hooks to salves and oint- ments to soothe a variety of burns and wounds. But the pack also contained rope and netting for setting traps. [image ends]nd if the Prince worked carefully and used his materials [image ends]perly, he could construct a trap large enough to catch [image ends] thief. The Prince worked quickly and quietly, think- [image ends] entire time of the priceless ring that was so close [image ends] yet so far out of reach. Finally, the trap was [image ends] he swung the rope over the tree branch and [image ends] trap high above the entrance to the thief's [image ends] Then he tied an expert snare and laid it [image ends] doorstep. [image ends] allowed himself a tiny smile as he pictured [image ends]uld look like swinging gently in the [image ends]nd no honor, and woman or not, the [image ends] giving her a much-deserved comeup- [image ends] his sword and hid behind a nearby [image ends]

Snow White's hideaway contained all the comforts of home but was by no means the castle she was accustomed to as a child. The small coal hearth could heat the tree but would scarcely have sufficed in keeping the mice warm at home. Her table wasn't big enough to accommodate more than one visitor, not that she ever had any, where her father's table in the dining hall seated hundreds of royal guests and kingdom officials. But despite the meek humble nature of her forest hideaway Snow paused for a moment to reflect om how she would miss it before continuing to pack her belongings for a final time. Urgency welled inside her. She laced her riding boots and stuffed an extra cloak into her satchel. She swept the stack of gold coins resting on the modest table into her sack. Her riding cloak fit snugly over her shoulders and as she was about to leave the cave there was one final item. Dangling from a hook rested a simple gold neck- lace holding a glass bottle. Snow grabbed the necklace and paused. Something about this necklace [illegible]ed Snow to her very core. Her face [two illegible words] and the sweet memories of her past life were [five illegible words]d, replaced by something much darker. [four illegible words] the memory down but it was impos- [illegible/obscured]ing. Too dark. Too wracked with [illegible/obscured]ppiness. The unmistakable face of the Evil [image ends] Snow's memory. Finally, with a deep, [image ends]Snow gingerly tied the bottle around her neck. This was something special to her. It was both her greatest hope and a reminder of her darkest days. An on another day, we may have seen more clues to help discover what this tiny bottle meant to Snow. But on this day, [image ends] there was no time to linger. There was only time for one final [image ends] sweep of her home, then a silent farewell before Snow exited the tree trunk. Snow put her hood on and tried to shake away the jittery her trip down memory lane had left her with. But for some reason, Snow's nerves weren't calming down. Suddenly, Snow had a terrible realization... someone was watching her! But by the time she felt the Prince's eyes on her, it was too late. Snow planted her foot right in the middle of the Prince's snare and with a shocking snap and a blur of dizzying motion, Show found herself suspended high in the air. Trapped like an animal. As Snow swung in the air, her stomach sank with the realization that she'd been tracked. The, as she watched the Prince emerge from his hiding place, her eyes flashed and her face went red. It was him?! How could she have let herself be tracked by someone who had never even cooked a a meal for himself a day his entire life? Snow saw the look on his face and knew exactly what had driven him to find her. It was the ring. It must have been even [image ends] than she'd anticipated. And with just [image ends] Snow knew exactly how bad a d[image ends]

[image begins]Evil Queen said she was. Holding out the bag of gold he mutters "So... You probably want this." Snow turns to him with the jewels, "And you can't get married without this." He spills the jewels into his palm. The wedding ring glistens in his hand. Snow eyes it. "Not your style?" the Prince chides her. "Only one way to find out." Snow takes it from his hand and slips it on her finger. It glistens. A perfect fit and for a moment she thinks... but no. "Yeah. Not me at all," and she dismisses the butterflies inside her stomach. The Prince, grateful that she returned to save his life now knew that Snow White could never be what the Evil Queen said she was. Hold- ing onto the bag of gold he mutters, "So...You probably want this. "So... You probably want this." Snow turns to him with the jewels. [sic]

[illegible word] would be safe in the kingdom. To fall in love he would have sacrifice his station to live like a fugitive. He would have to forsake his family and break vows which would lead to a war between nations. There are lives on the line, she told herself. The responsibility of a royal is great. Bigger than one's self. And though she was no longer of the court and her kingdom seemed to have turned against her, Snow was none the less raised as a princess and expected to be a queen one day. This would never be taken from her. She knew instinctively the [image ends]e she must make. Snow takes the ring off her finger and hands it to him. [illegible word]. Where ever you go from here, if you need me, I will find you", the Prince offers, "always." And Snow wants to believe it. "Goodbye, Prince Charming," Snow replies. [image ends] Charming grins, "I told you. It's James." Snow [image begins]urns to leave, "I like Charming better." She [image begins] back over her shoulder and they stare into each [image ends][image begins] other's eyes, they didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow of the Troll Bridge, that their love was born. Where they knew, no matter how they were separated, they would always find each other, and true love.


 * (Note that the opening words, are repeated later in the text.)


 * From the events of "Best Laid Plans":

[blurred] and [illegible word], could not be burdened by such a cursory thing, and walked right through it. "There was no way we could have known. The Apprentice hid the truth from us," the prince tried once again to assure her. Inside, he felt as she did, but pangs of helplessness at the sight of his love so forlorn compelled him to comfort her. She was about to reply when a bluebird settled on a branch up ahead. The princess averted her gaze. She imagined its whispers of judgment in her ear echoing her own disappointment in her actions and was relieved when the bird flew off rather than perch on her shoulder. She had thought before that she had known true depths of sorrow with the heinousness of the evil queen's betrayal of her family. But in that moment the princess knew that the greatest betrayal of all is that of a hero [blurred]


 * From the events of "The Song in Your Heart": "Do not despair. Hope is not lost." The Blue Fairy held up her wand as it began to glow brightly with the magic of their song. "You wished she could have a chance at a happy ending. With everyone's song in her heart, she will." Then it dawned on Snow White, realization breaking like the sun through clouds. Emma would never be alone. Not with the voices of the people who loved her in her heart. And with a little hope, their songs would resurface when Emma needed it the most."

Illustrations
Some of the illustrations in Henry's storybook are classic illustrations by well-known illustrators:


 * The picture of Dorothy and the Flying Monkeys is "The Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her", one of W. W. Denslow's illustrations from the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * In "Pilot", the opposite page contained an excerpt from the fairy tale of "The Golden Bird". In "Snow Falls", the text has been replaced with a story about how Prince Charming set the trap for Snow White.
 * The illustration of Alice and the Caterpillar is a colorized version of one of John Tenniel's illustrations from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
 * The same illustration is on the cover of the novel that Will Scarlet steals from the library.
 * Some of the images were created by the famous English book illustrator Arthur Rackham:
 * "The waiting maid sprang down first and Maid Maleen followed" from the fairy tale collection Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm (1917). It depicts a scene from the Grimm fairy tale "Maid Maleen".
 * "He played until the room was entirely filled with gnomes", also from Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm. This image depicts a scene from the Grimm fairy tale "The Gnome".
 * "The Meeting of Oberon and Titania" (1905), from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
 * The same picture can be seen in Once Upon a Time Volume II; however, the angle makes it very unclear.
 * A cut-out from this illustration, showing Titania, can also be seen in Henry's room.
 * Another cut-out can be seen on one of the missing person posters outside the Storybrooke Town Hall when people are searching for their loved ones after the breaking of the Dark Curse.
 * An illustration from a 1922 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's children's book A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys. It depicts a scene from the story "The Paradise of Children".
 * The same illustration is in Isaac's book Heroes and Villains. Both pages also feature the same excerpt from the fairy tale of "The Golden Bird", indicating that the same prop was used for the interior of both books.
 * A 1909 illustration from the fairy tale of "Little Red Riding Hood".
 * "What did she find there but real ripe strawberries", also from Little Brother & Little Sister and Other Tales By The Brothers Grimm. This image depicts a scene from the fairy tale of "The Three Little Men in the Wood".
 * "When he heard Peter's voice he popped in alarm behind a tulip", from J.M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906).
 * "Fairies Away! We Shall Chide Downright, If I Longer Stay" (1908). It depicts Titania in a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream.
 * "Preposterous! cried Solomon in a rage", also from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.
 * An illustration from Grimm's Fairy Tales - Illustrated by Arthur Rackham (1909), later re-published as Snowdrop & Other Tales By the Brothers Grimm (1920). It depicts a scene from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of "The Seven Ravens".
 * The same picture can be seen among the numerous fairytale illustrations pinned to the wall in Henry's room.


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * When creating the book, the prop department brought in every style and type of book they could find, and picked out an antique accounting book. They aged it up a little, and the art department would press stamps into the cover of the book to change the cover. A book builder made replicas of the finished product. The prop department created many pages with text on them, and added several illustrations.
 * The show does several transitions from the book to live action. If they're lucky, the prop department creates an illustration out of a screen-grab and inserts it into the book. If the prop department's schedule takes before the filming of the main action of the story line, they put a green page in the book, and the visual effects department will make their own illustration.


 * -|Cultural References=

Lost

 * The storybook page where young Regina is running away and the page Robin Hood finds are number XXIII (as Regina points out), a reference to the fifth Lost number, 23.


 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * When Henry is given the storybook in October 2011, he sees a picture of the scene with Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio right before the Blue Fairy's arrival. However, the story of Pinocchio being sent to the Land Without Magic along with Emma was not in the book until August added it several months later.


 * -|Other Notes=

Other Notes

 * A blank prop replica of the book was signed by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Robert Carlyle, Michael Raymond-James and Colin O'Donoghue for a September 2013 Stand Up 2 Cancer charity event.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.