The Child's Fairy Tale Book: 9 - Hardcover

These five tales include three always-in-demand stories--"Snow White," "Rapunzel," and "Cinderella," and two lesser-known ones, the East Indian "Muchie Lal" and the native American "The Ants that Pushed on the Sky." There are no notes on sources or translations, except for the brief citations of the cultural origins of the latter two stories. In perhaps the world's best-known story, "Cinderella," Chorao uses the most frequently occurring motifs, such as the tree growing from the mother's grave, the intervention of doves, and the device of a golden shoe, rather than Perrault's introductions of a fairy godmother and a glass slipper. Both text and pictures are more graceful than deep, although "The Ants" is not as smooth as the others. The tellings are clear and unadorned, while the pictures are uncluttered but informative in a controlled manner. While the stories are united in themes of betrayal and consolation, sweet faces and confectionary colors represent their darker aspects benignly, and olden-time emblems of costume and castle render them comfortable. A grandparents' delight. --Karen Litton, London Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In addition to the familiar tales about Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel, this companion volume to The Child's Story Book includes "The Ants That Pushed on the Sky," a Native American story about a brave betrayed by his friend, and the East Indian "Muchie Lal," about a young woman separated from her husband. While Chorao's art is perfectly suited to her collections for preschoolers ( The Baby's Story Book , The Baby's Bedtime Book ), her overly sweet renderings of these stories' darker elements are somewhat out of place. Perhaps she intends the illustrations to be an approximation of how a child might imagine herself as the heroine of a fairy tale, but even so, Cinderella's stepsister looks more peeved than wicked, and both Cinderella and Snow White appear so young that their marriages seem inappropriate. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.