(3) K-3 Illustrated by Veronica Rooney. Because of a sorcerer's curse, the prince is born with a nose shaped like a zucchini. His doting parents surround him with big-nosed servants so the prince doesn't realize how odd he looks until he falls in love with a small-nosed princess. Flat cartoonlike illustrations emphasize the prince's ridiculous appearance, but the princess sees his loyal heart in this fairy tale originally told in the eighteenth century by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Brent. A humorous and well-told legend of the Devil's adventures on Noah's Ark explains why humans have since been plagued by fleas. The Devil is unwittingly invited onto the ark when Noah's wife is reluctant to board and a frustrated Noah snaps, "Oh, you devil, come in!" The formal illustrations, with their gold borders and delicate watercolor paintings, seem incongruous with the earthy tale.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Isabelle Brent. Seventeen of Andersen's tales, including old favorites such as "The Little Mermaid" and "The Tinderbox" as well as several lesser-known ones such as "The Bell" and "The Toad," are retold to preserve Andersen's colloquial style. Lavish watercolor illustrations embellished with gold leaf bring out the magic and spiritual longing of the tales.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen