(3) K-3 Illustrated by Catherine Hyde. Hyde's elegant, sophisticated paintings add atomosphere to Pirotta's accessible retelling. After performing a series of tasks with the help of a magical gray wolf, King Vaslav's youngest son captures the firebird that has been stealing his father's golden apples. An author's note discusses variations of this tale, including the one made famous by the 1910 ballet.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Richard Johnson. This collection of retellings uses traditional characters, themes, and plots from many cultures. The stories are generally only two to three pages long, making them ideal for bedtime or a quick classroom read-aloud. Thoughtful design includes Johnson's soft yet lively illustrations as borders, spots, and full pages, providing lovely visual images related to each story's cultural origin. No sources are included.

Reviewer: Aishah Abdul-Musawwir

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. Each formulaic book in this series begins with a defining moment in the life of its subject, from Pasteur's impromptu use of his rabies vaccine on a young boy to Bell's first successful telephone call. The following chapters briefly chronicle the lives of these scientists. Illustrated with photos, reproductions, and maps, each book includes diagrams, boxed quotes, and a timeline. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Thomas A. Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) K-3 Food and Festivals series. Though limited in their approach, these books introduce six foods from each country and offer a glimpse at some of the religious and secular festivals and holidays celebrated. The simple texts skim the surface of the different cultures but don't give in-depth overviews. Each volume features plenty of color photos and includes four or five simple recipes, most of which are related to the festivals. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sheila Moxley. Folk-art-style illustrations in vivid gold, purple, and green tones add life to this collection of five mostly unfamiliar Christmas stories from Syria, Malta, Mexico, Ghana, and Russia. The tone of the writing is informal and at times distractingly contemporary: referring to soldiers who are chasing them, Mary says, "we gave them the slip." The author lists one or two sources--some of them oral--for each piece.

Reviewer: Anne St. John