(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. In an elegant, oversize edition of Hoffmann's Christmas story, Marie's nutcracker doll comes to life and she helps to transform him into a handsome prince. The flowery prose of the original text is much more complex than will be expected by children used to the ballet. Innocenti's surreal paintings emphasize the nightmarish aspects of the fantasy.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. Story by Roberto Innocenti. Little Red travels a 'hood of a different color in this gritty adaptation. The story begins in a crumbling housing project; along the way Red meets with "jackal" hooligans and a motorcycle-riding "wolf"; we last see her at the door of Nana's trailer, in which we know the wolf waits. Innocenti sets a menacing scene through his terse narrative and dark illustrations.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. Through richly detailed paintings, the story unfolds of a cottage built in 1656. The book progresses through the twentieth century, and Lewis's poetry provides a general history of the times, both World Wars, and the technological and economic changes. There's no contextual insight; adult intervention will likely be required to help readers decipher events shown in the intriguing pictures.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. In this effective introduction to the Holocaust, the author tells the story of a woman she happened to meet in Germany in 1995. "Erika" knew nothing of her origins except that, as an infant, she was thrown from a train en route to a concentration camp. The spare, straightforward narrative effectively complements the handsomely composed, photorealistic black-and-white paintings.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. Innocenti's Cinderella is set in 1920s London and features brown-toned retro illustrations with clever details; Delessert's Beauty is dreamlike and psychologically suggestive, with illustrations of pudgy beast-headed birds and recurring beast silhouettes. These new editions are covered in high-quality paper and employ luxurious art treatment; the pages are text-heavy, but the old tellings have charm.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam