(4) K-3 Once-upon-a-Time series. Illustrated by Josee Masse. Three very different tales--"Puss-in-Boots," "Town Mouse and Country Mouse," and "Dick Whittington and His Cat"--are given serviceable retellings. Playful acrylic illustrations generously scattered throughout use a similar naive style for each tale, reinforcing the connection between them. No source notes are included.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katya Krenina. Kimmel and Krenina set this artful retelling of a Latvian folktale in Ukraine. The simpleton youngest son inherits the farm, only to give it to his older brothers so he can join his cat bride in her enchanted castle. Exquisite mixed-media illustrations enhance the sense that all is not what it seems.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Neal Layton. This collection of humorous poems will entertain readers while providing examples of different poetic forms, including the villanelle, concrete poetry, and haiku, as well as of different types of rhyme and meter, and of poetic techniques such as personification and alliteration. Annotations explain literary terms. Cartoon illustrations are in keeping with the light, playful tone. Ind.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Denise. Clumsy, ill-tempered Biddy Malone stumbles upon a faerie village, where a beautiful boy asks what her wishes are. She asks for the ability to sing and dance and to have a loving heart. Biddy returns to her Irish village and through hard work achieves her wishes. Dreamy acrylic and charcoal illustrations in a muted palette suit this original twist on a three-wishes tale.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Grandmother Stories series. Illustrated by Murv Jacob. Trickster Rabbit snares the Chief of All the Wood Ducks but is carried aloft. He uses his considerable wits to escape and returns safely home with a hare-raising tale (but no wood duck). The intricate black-and-white drawings of animals in their woodland habitat add a contemplative dimension to this amusing folktale. No source note is included.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) 4-6 Pocket Paragon Book series. Translated by Thomas S. Hansen. Illustrated by Boris Pak. These two literary fairy tales feature two physically deformed protagonists who outwit sorceresses and capricious princes. Pak's paintings employ the black backgrounds and jewel-like colors of lacquered Russian boxes. Although the scholarly introduction is geared toward adults, the fables themselves will appeal to middle-grade readers who enjoy fantasy with a dark twist.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid series. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Eleven-year-old Davey, caught up in the 1897 Klondike gold rush and hoping to find Uncle Walt, his only living relative, stows away on an Alaska-bound ship in the Seattle harbor. Appealing black-and-white drawings place the story in its historical setting. This well-paced chapter book will appeal to historical fiction buffs and whet their appetites for further adventures in the proposed trilogy.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pamela Silin-Palmer. In this generally entertaining retelling of the classic tale, the royal family is made up of bunnies in medieval garb, the good fairies are winged piglets, etc. Occasionally, the puns and overabundance of exclamation points disrupt the narrative flow; but the elaborate paintings, which feature bright colors on dark backdrops, convey humor without slighting the story's solemn elements.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 In a time of famine, Chameleon rewards Brother Rabbit for a kind deed with a magic gourd that fills with whatever its owner desires. King Mansa Jugu steals the gourd, but clever Rabbit recovers it and teaches the greedy king a lesson. Photos of exquisitely crafted ceramic plates, bowls, and tiles bordered with traditional Mali patterns illustrate this West African tale, which is retold with both economy and flair. Glos.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 This theatrical retelling captures the majesty and heroism in the Hindu story of the unjustly exiled Prince Rama and his lovely wife Sita, who is kidnapped by an evil giant. Gorgeous illustrations, modeled on Javanese shadow puppets and rendered in black, reds, and gold leaf, suit the stylized pageantry of this tale of good and evil. No source notes are provided.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Olwyn Whelan. These two slim volumes each offer six simplified retellings of well-known stories from Greek myth. Aimed at the early primary grades, the retellings leave out the more gruesome bits but also a lot of the gusto. Inviting illustrations rendered in a soft rainbow palette are an appropriate match for the text. Glos. [Review covers these titles: Fantastic Creatures from Greek Myths and Gods and Goddesses from Greek Myths.]

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Olwyn Whelan. These two slim volumes each offer six simplified retellings of well-known stories from Greek myth. Aimed at the early primary grades, the retellings leave out the more gruesome bits but also a lot of the gusto. Inviting illustrations rendered in a soft rainbow palette are an appropriate match for the text. Glos. [Review covers these titles: Fantastic Creatures from Greek Myths and Gods and Goddesses from Greek Myths.]

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Veronica Rooney. Because of a sorcerer's curse, the prince is born with a nose shaped like a zucchini. His doting parents surround him with big-nosed servants so the prince doesn't realize how odd he looks until he falls in love with a small-nosed princess. Flat cartoonlike illustrations emphasize the prince's ridiculous appearance, but the princess sees his loyal heart in this fairy tale originally told in the eighteenth century by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this retelling, the jealous queen commands her stepson to bring her a giant's three magic stallions or die trying. Dramatic, sometimes humorous watercolor and graphite illustrations with strong lines and a muted palette suit this Irish tale about a resourceful prince. The story is told with wit and a touch of brogue, making it a good read-aloud choice. An author's note discusses sources.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 In this crisp retelling, Snow White is a fine gardener as well as a good housekeeper and is rescued from her poison-induced slumber by a blue-skinned, blond-haired prince named Sunray. Striking candy-colored illustrations of geometric figures, tied together by a single black line that loops through all the pictures, add to this modern interpretation of the traditional tale. No source notes are included.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Nourse Lattimore. When mice destroy Sasha's rag doll, her box-maker grandfather replaces it with a wooden thumbling doll. He goes on to make successively larger nesting dolls to protect the smaller ones from predators. Set in old Moscow, this affectionate tale, which features humorous, if at times awkwardly rendered, illustrations, is as much about intergenerational love as about the matrioshka doll's creation.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 In this Moroccan Jewish folktale, a grumpy old bachelor drops a bean down a well and wakes an imp who gives him a magic pot. This gift arouses the jealousy of an old woman, who turns out to be his perfect match ("Such a nasty temper! Such awful manners...What a wonderful woman!"). Whimsical illustrations rendered in a cheerful palette and filled with Moroccan details enhance this silly, warm-hearted tale.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Havice. Unflappable Abigail Muchmore keeps her farm tidy in spite of Mr. West Wind's antics. But when he blows her dog into the next county, she feels that he has gone too far. Grambling gets the countrified narration just right--"Matilda Pickerel...loved sour things (she married Jasper, didn't she?)"--and Havice's watercolors, in which Mr. West Wind has the head of a regular-looking guy, are admirably understated.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) 1-3 Translated by John Barrett. Illustrated by Kathi Bhend. Henrietta, one of 3,333 chickens in a dirty chicken house, persists in the pursuit of her dreams (to sing, to swim, to fly) despite the discouragement of her peers, and in so doing leads them all to a more humane existence. Exquisite black-and-white illustrations with a contrasting gold border capture Henrietta's exuberant personality. This original parable will appeal to older children and adults.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ken Stark. Short, rhyming verses ("Lines of orphans, / On display. / David chosen, / Pulled away") and sentimental illustrations tell the story of three orphaned siblings who are sent West by orphan train and eventually end up in separate homes. The simple text may be aimed at an audience too young to fully comprehend this chapter in American history. A brief author's note gives historical background.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen