Michael Hague's treasured classics

Hague lends dynamic artwork to his traditional versions of 14 stories including "Sleeping Beauty" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," bringing readers right into the drama. Highly expressive animals and humans often appear in motion, mouths open as though in mid-speech or howl. Forest branches curl menacingly toward Little Red Riding Hood, while Cinderella's stepsisters' facial expressions are lit up with cruelty. Hague's retellings tend toward the gentle (the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood is merely chased away), but they get to the emotional core of each tale. All ages. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 2-5-Hague's delightfully detailed illustrations give life to 15 much-loved fables and folk and fairy tales. The retellings are faithful enough to the originals to be familiar, but most stories end on particularly positive notes, and characters are often spared from the violence found in other versions. For example, in "Little Red Riding Hood," the grandmother manages to barricade herself in a closet out of harm's way. These "friendlier" retellings are suitable for use with small children, and older children can compare and contrast differences among other, darker versions of the tales. Not all characters escape a tragic fate (the Gingerbread Man is still eaten by the fox), but the majority end well. Regardless of age, everyone can appreciate the beautiful illustrations, which capture the whimsy and absurdity inherent in folk and fairy tales while depicting mostly realistic animals (if a bit anthropomorphic) and people.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.