Scheherazade's Cat

These nine skillfully rendered tales are none the worse for their New Age mindset. The Zerners, a mother and daughter team, bring sensitivity without sanctimony to their storytelling. ``The Turquoise Sandals,'' a flavorful Egyptian story which the authors claim to be a model for Cinderella puts its European cousin to sexist shame; its heroine is a reader who prefers freedom to adoration, and her beauty is ``only the outer reflection of her even more beautiful inner qualities.'' A Native American yarn, ``Sister Bear,'' celebrates the wisdom and special powers of a girl who eschews ``the traditional paths.'' Other tales are culled from Peru, South Africa, Hawaii and China. Each entry is bordered in a different intricate and rich tapestry border, and illustrated by a single full-page collage painting, exotic in texture and multi-ethnic in imagery. All ages. (Mar.)