The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies: An Old Tale from Scotland

According to this Scottish tale, sweet-toothed fairies ``flew into people's houses. . .and feasted on leftover cake crumbs.'' The King of the Fairies, annoyed that crumbs never remain from the very best cakes, orders the capture of the talented bakerwoman responsible. Once in the fairies' lair, the crafty lady requests needed items from her kitchen at home, where her bewildered husband looks on as utensils and ingredients float out of the window, borne by invisible fairies. Eventually she concocts an especially tasty confection, and strikes a clever, albeit fair, bargain with the Fairy King to win her freedom. While depicting a strong, resourceful heroine, Forest's graceful retelling perfectly captures the story's fairy-tale flavor. Using deep tones of violet, blue and green, Gaber's haunting paintings range from the wonderfully eerie to the comfortably reassuring. Ages 4 - 8. (Mar.)