The Child's Story Book

Children who cuddled up with Chorao's The Baby's Story Book and The Baby's Lap Book can graduate to the fairy tales collected in this volume. In addition to ""Jack and the Beanstalk,'' ``Hansel and Gretel,'' ``The Pied Piper'' and ``The Ugly Duckling,'' Chorao includes two lesser-known tales. In ``The Wonderful Teakettle'' from Japan, a misused teakettle turns into a roly-poly badger and is eventually befriended by a tinker, who feeds it sugarplums. In ``The Lion and the Hare,'' a delightful tale from Botswana, the audacious Mmutlastet, a precursor of Brer Rabbit, manages to outfox the slow-witted lion with classic panache. Simple, clear prose is graced by gentle illustrations; this is a volume for a thoughtful child to linger over on rainy days. Ages 4-8. (October)