cover image The Good Stepmother

The Good Stepmother

Marguerita Rudolph, Boris Zakhoder. Simon & Schuster, $14 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-671-68270-5

This sweet if somewhat insubstantial retelling of a Russian folktale concerns a motherless princess who finds her father a loving wife. The story moves along swiftly as it describes how young Princess Elena devises a test of compassion to choose a stepmother from the assembled women of the village. Rudolph's depiction of the search process is satisfying, although the tale suffers slightly from an abrupt, happily-ever-after resolution. We're left wanting to know more about what happens to the hastily chosen bride. Unfortunately, the story's authentic Old World feel is seriously marred by May's artwork. Her hyperrealistic illustrations, with their emphasis on close-ups showing every hair on the characters' heads, have the flat, airbrushed look of commercial art. Despite their period dress, these characters have a disconcertingly contemporary appearance. Ages 4-7. (May)