The Fairy Tales
PreSchool-Grade 4–This elegant publication includes Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White. The illustrations are a dramatic mix of black silhouettes on white paper, often surrounded by swirls of color and silhouettes filled in with color. Large calligraphic letters on colorful backgrounds pop up throughout the book at the heads of paragraphs; the print is large and clear. Surprisingly, in such a beautifully designed book, there is no table of contents for readers who want to locate a specific story. Page numbers are provided, although their value seems somewhat diminished. A brief introduction includes information about the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault as well as some context for the artist's decision to illustrate these particular tales; however, no bibliography pinpoints the exact sources for the text. While young children may primarily be interested in the stories, the beauty and quality of presentation will please older readers and book collectors.–Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.