(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Calvin Nicholls. Crow, who along with his grandmother has been unfairly ostracized by his fellow Seneca, learns to take up the ways of peace and becomes the repository of memory for his people. A successful interweaving of many traditional stories, which are sourced in a comprehensive author's note, this novel is handsomely decorated with full-page reproductions of paper sculpted animals and people.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Shannon. On an island ruled by an unfeeling despot, two siblings rescue a rope-entangled shark. When the children violate the king's rules, however, they are condemned to death. In desperation, their parents seek out the fearsome shark god. Shannon's dark palette is well suited to the tone, lightening effectively as the family sails to a new and more inviting land. Based on a Hawaiian legend, this is a real find for story hours and individual readers.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. A princess would prefer to be "washed overboard in a storm at sea" than marry a prince she didn't pick out herself. She gets her wish and uses her adventures to entertain a prince--who turns out to be the one originally intended for her. The story lacks tension (the tidy ending is predictable from the start), but the drawings of the princess's travels offer some drama.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Gaber. A merchant sends his two sons out into the world. Vasilii's deceits repeatedly get him into trouble, but Ivan (dreamy, yet wiser) wins respect, a kingdom, and the service of his father and brother. Martin's excellent source note sets this Russian tale in the context of stories from several cultures that contrast worldly realists with generous dreamers. Gaber's lush, stylized scenes are satisfyingly dramatic and expressive.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000

(3) K-3 While all the other animals are fleeing from a forest fire, a parrot desperately tries to put out the flames. Her bravery inspires the compassion of a god, whose tears not only put out the fire but revive life as well. Dramatic paintings illustrate this jataka tale from India, which describes one of Buddha's past lives in a way that teaches a moral lesson, but so charmingly that it doesn't seem didactic at all.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.