Stories at the Door

January 1, 2008
On the jacket, zany characters swirl around a house with an open door, inviting readers into this collection of six folktales from around the world. Selections include a Scandinavian story in which a clever third son outwits a wealthy lumber baron, an amusing Palestinian tale in which a fart (yes, you read right, though its a man at the time) must make amends to the heroine, and an Indian story in which a kitchen maid defeats a giant of a genie. Canadian writer Andrews contributes a short poem before each selection and retells the stories in simple language, making them accessible to a younger audience than the Andrew Lang fairy-tale collections (noted as sources for several of the selections.) With humor running through them like a bright thread, the lively stories are well matched by Blakes jaunty, colorful, and often comical line-and-wash artwork.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2008
Preceding these six folktales, each from a different place (e.g., Scandinavia, Palestine, India), is a short verse take-off on once-upon-a-time ("What's that at the door? / It's a story!"). The stories share a similarly light, silly narrative style and details. Offbeat fine-line drawings, some full-page and some spot, employ a bold and varied color palette and placement on the pages.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)