(4) 4-6 Ancient Fantasy series. Flyswatter is based on oral storytelling from the Nyanga people of eastern Congo; an earlier version was published in Cricket magazine. King (revised edition) is adapted from a sixteenth-century Chinese book, itself based on legend. The fairly short retellings would best be read aloud; dense, text-filled pages with no illustrations are a disappointment. Authors' notes include some background information. Review covers these Ancient Fantasy titles: The Monkey King and The Magic Flyswatter.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Ancient Fantasy series. Flyswatter is based on oral storytelling from the Nyanga people of eastern Congo; an earlier version was published in Cricket magazine. King (revised edition) is adapted from a sixteenth-century Chinese book, itself based on legend. The fairly short retellings would best be read aloud; dense, text-filled pages with no illustrations are a disappointment. Authors' notes include some background information. Review covers these Ancient Fantasy titles: The Monkey King and The Magic Flyswatter.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Ancient Fantasy series. Shepard's free-verse rendition of an excerpt from the Finnish epic was previously published as a picture book. Illustrations would certainly have enhanced this dense recounting of two suitors' competition to woo a devious maiden and their subsequent flight with the magical gifts they had proffered. Nevertheless, this edition fills a gap as there is little else drawn from the Kalevala available for children.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin