Retelling a Brothers Grimm tale also known as "The Singing, Springing Lark," Long and Ogburn bring to their adaptation the same flourish and romance that distinguished their The Magic Nesting Doll
. This story, which combines elements of "Beauty and the Beast" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," offers a courageous and steadfast heroine, a handsome lover transformed by the spell of a wicked enchantress, a seven-year quest that tests the couple's faith in each other—in short, everything a fairy-tale fan could want. The authors streamline the original, wisely conflating a few very minor episodes and adding a surge of power to the climactic ending. Graceful as the narrative is, the lion's share of this book's strength derives from the show-stopping art. Long's lush oils conjure a medieval world of castles and mystical beasts, ornate gardens and lush vegetation. Her characters wear richly patterned clothing, and they travel across seascapes and landscapes that curl if not writhe in response to natural and supernatural forces. Through it all, light seems to radiate from her paintings; while they share the complexity of rare tapestries, they also achieve the luminosity of stained glass. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)
