(3) 1-3 Stepping Stone Fantasy series. Illustrated by Lesley Harker. Tam searches for his baby sister, stolen by the fairies with a goblin baby left in her place. Their great-grandfather sets Tam on his way with a favorite object (Tam's treasured kaleidoscope) to give the Fairy King. This contemporary-set story, illustrated with delicate line art, neatly incorporates elements of Scottish folklore.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA Nine-year-old Abela's uncle sends her from Tanzania to Britain, intending to sell her. In parallel, Rosa's mother hopes to adopt a girl with Tanzanian roots. The story's three viewpoints (Rosa's and Abela's first-person narratives and Abela's third-person perspective as an adult) help underscore the contrasts between Rosa's small yet authentic worries about sharing her mother and Abela's courage in surviving cruelty.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(1) K-3 When she meets Old Mother Greenwood, a girl named Jill learns that the main protagonists of the world's numerous Jack tales are all related. The woman tells Jill several stories about different Jacks, and as she does, the story-loving girl becomes caught up in a Jack tale in the making. The vividly written narrative moves at a swift pace, making it both a natural read-aloud and a perfect read-alone for newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Ray. A dozen familiar fairy tales, selected from the works of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and others, have been compiled in one luxuriously illustrated volume. On each page, the text box is rimmed with gold and set against a richly patterned background, and the intricate details in the accompanying artwork are rendered in vibrant jewel tones. In contrast, Doherty's retellings are simple and straightforward, with few embellishments.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) PS Illustrated by Alison Bartlett. Paddiwak, a "prince of a cat," feels jealous when his young mistress brings home a new tabby cat. Claiming that he's "never, never, never going home," Paddiwak stays outside until it starts to rain. Bright, textured paintings augment the tension between the animal characters as well as the predictably tender encounter at story's end.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ian Andrew. In the middle of the night, Harry and his dog hear someone riding by--the midnight man, throwing stars into the sky. They try to join him, but in a hushed voice like "owl cries and fox calls," the midnight man tells them they can't follow. Doherty's lyrical language is elegant and rhythmic, and Andrew's dark colored pencil illustrations glow with starlight.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 An exceedingly handsome collection of folktales includes retellings from many lands and one original story by Doherty. The tales, for the most part unfamiliar, are usually well told, but the meager introductions give little feeling for their provenance. Wijngaard's illustrations as well as the book design and format are striking.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.