Peter and the Wolf

This presentation of Prokofiev's symphonic fairy tale loses its melody in a wordy adaptation of the narrative. In the opening scene, instead of simply meeting Peter as he opens the garden gate early one morning, readers weave their way through ""the great forest... just outside town"" to an ""apple tree on the bank of a pond [where] one of the tree's sturdy branches hung above the fence and over a garden."" Here, Peter and his friend, the little bird, finally meet. Though the characters remain true to form and the story line of a brave young boy capturing a wild and ravenous wolf remains intact, the essence of Prokofiev's masterpiece, a study in simplicity, is obscured by labyrinthine details. Gukova's (The Blind Fairy) mixed-media illustrations, alive with color and texture, allow for intimate encounters with each of the animals. In one of the most enchanting, as the cat stealthily approaches his potential feathered prey, the duck exits the lower right-hand corner of the spread in a great splash of water while only the reflection of the fleeing bird is visible in the pond. Yet some of the images here may be more menacing than they would be in a listener's imagination. And fans of the original tale will miss the closing sounds of the duck's quacking from inside the wolf's stomach (she's been swallowed whole), which goes unmentioned here. Ages 5-8 (Sept.)