The Magic Horse

This unexceptional, somewhat clunky retelling of an ancient tale set in the Middle East pits magic against technological advancement. While his forward-thinking brother tinkers with useful inventions, Prince Tambal, dismissed as a dreamer, flies to strange lands on a mind-reading wooden horse. Ornately decorated pages, with inset naturalistic illustrations and frame upon frame of geometric borders, complement the exotic scenes, which include a flying palace (housing the captive Princess Precious Pearl) and a camel trek through the desert. Freeman's patterns recall both mosaics and kaleidoscopes. Shah, who died in 1996, is best known for his writings on the Sufi tradition; this is one of a series of posthumously released children's books. Ostensibly a teaching story, the book's lesson is, unfortunately, less than coherent: why a love of fantasy would make Tambal a better king than his practical brother remains unclear. Ages 7-12. (Sept.) FYI: Three other books by Shah are being released from Hoopoe at the same time, for younger children. These are Neem the Half-Boy, illus. by Midori Mori and Robert Revels; The Farmer's Wife, illus. by Rose Mary Santiago; and The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water, illus. by Ingrid Rodriguez. ($17 each, 32p ages 3-8 ISBN -10-3; -07-3; -12-X)