Dragon Soup

Williams's (Tales from the Dragon's Cave) feisty original tale, set in an unnamed Asian village, is sadly undermined by the garishness of Smith's (Grandfather Four Winds and Rising Moon) illustrations. Tonlu, the spirited heroine, vows to steal treasure from the cave of the cloud dragons in order to save her family from economic ruin and herself from a forced marriage. She is caught red-handed, and here events take a surprising turn. The two dragon brothers ask Tonlu to judge their soup recipes; one dragon will add her to the soup ingredients if she chooses his brother's broth; the other promises to give her treasure if she proclaims him the victor. Clever Tonlu comes up with an answer that earns her freedom as well as riches. Williams's efforts are cheapened by the artwork's lack of subtlety. A radioactive palette vies with overwrought composition in a distracting display likely to keep readers at bay. Ages 4-10. (Apr.)