Princess Tales: Once Upon a Time in Rhyme with Seek-and-Find Pictures

Fairy tales often involve transformation, and Maccarone converts 10 familiar stories into swiftly moving and skillfully constructed iambic tetrameter poems. Despite the brevity of the retellings, Maccarone retains subtle moments of drama and humor; in “Cinderella,” she writes, “In disbelief, the prince ran, too,/ He lost the girl, but found a shoe.” Contributing delicate ink-and-watercolor paintings (which incorporate multiple objects for readers to locate), de Marcken smartly moves several of the stories outside Europe: “The Princess and the Frog” is set in China, and the African heroine of “The Princess and the Pea” is shown climbing onto a towering pile of boldly patterned mattresses. Although the rhymes can repeat themselves (“said,” “wed,” “wife,” and “life” come up often), it’s a minor quibble in what’s otherwise a splendid reimagining of favorite stories. Ages 4–6. (Oct.)