(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Podwal. Bored with terrorizing the citizens of Chelm, invisible demons ship themselves to New York in search of a greater challenge but get stuck in a crate for fifty years. The overlong tale lacks the appeal of traditional Chelm stories, though the demons' adventures with subways and computers provide some amusement. Smudgy purple and blue paintings are interpretive and add to the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Podwal. Sobel tells ten stories about the biblical leader, Moses, who survives his life of trials because of the intervention of angels. The mystical stories, set in a world where the boundaries between Heaven and Earth are vague, are told in an unadorned style, beautifully balanced with Podwal's spare paintings. A note about how closely these stories resemble the legends listed as sources would have been helpful.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Podwal. In graceful, unadorned prose with a casually conversational tone, Wiesel retells stories from the life of King Solomon. Well-known stories of the king's renowned wisdom, the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the visit by the Queen of Sheba appear in the collection. Spare but striking acrylic and colored pencil pictures suit the text's pared-down tone.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) K-3 When the prayers of Schmuel the Shoemaker (called Poor Stupid Schmuel for his tendency to fix shoes for free) stop both drought and floods, the townsfolk realize he is one of the Lamed-vavniks, thirty-six holy people living lives of such goodness that their prayers have God's ear. When discovered, he quickly leaves town, and when a new shoemaker comes, they are kind to him: "After all, you never know." Glowing gems of illustrations capture the legend's reverence and mystery.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.