cover image The Enchanted Book: A Tale from Krakow

The Enchanted Book: A Tale from Krakow

Janina Porazinska. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P, $13.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-15-225950-1

In this Polish tale, familiar mythic patterns are well represented. The miller has three daughters, each of them beautiful, and ""each one wanted different things in life''the two older ones have frivolous wishes, while the youngest desires only to work hard and help her parents. When an old beggar woman is treated kindly by the family and teaches the daughters to read, only the youngest works hard at it. An evil enchanter hears of the daughters and decides to marry one of them. He tricks each of them into going to his castle, and the youngest daughter, with her ability to read, saves all three. Brilliantly colored illustrationsinspired by Polish paper cuts and folk motifslavishly complement the tale. Ages 5-9. (April)