Happy Endings Are All Alike

One of the pleasures of reading folk and fairy tales attributed to specific cultures lies in finding the traits they share with stories from other peoples or places; another is coming upon the element that makes the story indigenous to that particular culture. The 15 brief tales collected here contain both delights: witness the story of Katanya, an obvious variant of ``Thumbelina,'' who is a gift from the prophet Elijah to a lonely old peasant woman; and Og, a giant who is rewarded for helping Noah with a berth on top of the ark and is given food, drink and a raincoat by the grateful animals themselves. The editors do a splendid job of incorporating introductions of unfamiliar characters or ideas smoothly into the text--these tellings roll trippingly off the tongue. Shulevitz's ( Dawn ; The Treasure ) illustrations, with their characteristic jewel-like tones, are a perfect match; it seems unfortunate that there are only 10. Ages 7-10. (Oct.)