Farmyard Tales: From Far and Wide

These two collections of folklore--with seven stories each, culled from across the globe and grouped by setting--are replete with trickery, magic, talking animals, friendship and simple (but never heavy-handed) morals. While both books contain at least one familiar tale (The Three Little Pigs in the first collection; Goldilocks in the second), most of the stories will represent welcome new additions to the read-aloud repertoire. Both volumes are ably narrated, but Vermeulen proves especially skillful at dialogue and building drama, a reflection perhaps of her background in theater and puppetry. The books' format may scare off beginning readers, as the pages are dense with copy, and while every page has at least one illustration, only two pictures in each story command a full page. However, the versatility of Moran's (Tales from the Ark) illustrations, which take on the character of each tale's native land in scenery, characters and costume will likely hold youngsters' attention. From the lush colors of the Australian outback to the cool palette of pastoral fields in China, Moran serves up a smorgasbord of visual samplings. Endnotes on the origins of each story round out these meaty offerings. Ages 2-7. (Aug.)