Pilgrim's Progress

This masterly rendition of Bunyan's 17th-century allegory issues a welcome invitation to visit this classic. While Schmidt modifies the vocabulary for a modern-day audience, he takes pains to preserve the spirit and artistry of the original text. His language is accessible if not invariably contemporary, as he tells how Christian leaves the City of Destruction in search of the Heavenly Palaces. His run-ins with an assortment of unsavory characters, monsters, seers and benevolent guides are brilliantly depicted in Moser's watercolor illustrations, which mirror the agelessness of Bunyan's moral. Author and illustrator produce a treasure sure to delight young and old. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)