The Wizard King: & Other Spellbinding Tales - Hardcover

Grade 3-6-Nine stories about wizards and other enchanted types from a variety of cultures. The selections, two Native American (Algonquin and Hopi), and one each from France, Greece, England, Russia, Armenia, Italy, and Wales, all have appealing basic story elements, but the retellings are bland. The layout is open and pleasant, and the full-page watercolors as well as the small paintings and decorative elements that face them are done with an obvious effort to reflect the ethnic origins. However, there is a blandness here, too, that gives the pictures the appearance of coloring-book pages. Two of the stories-"Pome and Peel" from Italy and "The Story of Merlin" from Wales-are available in most library collections. The fact that some of the other offerings are less readily available may be a reason for purchase. The subjective, brief, and largely vague source notes give almost no guidance in authenticating the tales. While inoffensive, this book is hardly essential.
Sally Margolis, Barton Public Library, VT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-6. This collection of nine retellings of traditional folk and fairy tales from many different countries features dragons, monsters, wizards, and magic spells. Most of the stories, such as "The Wizard King," "Ivan and the Wizard," and "The Partridge Spirit," will be new to young readers. The substantial text on each page is printed in either single or double columns and is adequately broken up with brightly colored illustrations ranging in size from full page to small decorative panels or single images that surround the page numbers. Although brief explanations of story sources are appended, they are not detailed enough to be authoritative. Youngsters may not be spellbound by these tales, but they will enjoy listening to the stories in group settings or reading them on their own. An additional purchase. April Judge