(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Ray. In sixteenth-century Venice, a glassmaker desperate to cheer up his sullen daughter promises a glass palace to anyone who can make her smile. No one succeeds until one young glassmaker uses a secret formula to create something new: a looking glass. This gentle story's fairy-tale tone is furthered by fanciful watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations, including a striking spread with shiny foil details.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jude Daly. In spare, lyrical language Hofmeyr recounts a tale based on a Heliopolis creation myth from 3000 B.C.E. Lonely, the golden godchild Atum creates the god of air and goddess of dew and rain. Their less-tempestuous children, earth and sky, cling to each other and must be separated to give their creator room to further fashion a world. Daly's stylized Egyptian characters match the tale's poignancy and restraint.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jude Daly. In this eloquently retold Christmas legend, brought from Persia by Marco Polo, the three magi offer their gifts to a young child, who gives them a mysterious box in return. Inside is a stone that bursts into flame, symbolizing the faith the people must have in the child's gift to humanity. The richly colored illustrations effectively combine wide open landscapes with delicate details. An author's note provides information about the story's origins.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert