(3) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. The king and queen of a charming, Edwardian-era island kingdom decide to marry their daughter Lucia to the suitor who shows them the Most Wonderful Thing in the World. The winning suitor shows them Lucia herself. The lengthy and elegant text paints many intricate word pictures, while Barrett's tiny, delicious watercolors, filled with hidden details, will reward close examination.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. After nearly being eaten by a bat and left flightless, young night fairy Flora vows to become a day fairy and avoid bats altogether. Schlitz explores Flora's moral development, magical spells, and cleverness as she learns to wield a dagger, sting predators with her mind, and make friends with squirrels and hummingbirds. Minpins and Stellaluna fans will enjoy Flora's wit and derring-do.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2010

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. In this inviting British fantasy, odd things are happening around twelve-year-old Sylvie: her musician father disappears, her beloved dog becomes mute, and birds stop singing. Music and fantasy come together as Sylvie and her friend George enter the menacing world of the Songman, who has kidnapped her father and plans to render the world voiceless. Shadowy, elegant drawings enrich the text.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Striking new illustrations in pencil, graphite, gouache, and muted watercolors bring this classic story to a new generation. Set in southeast England against the threatening backdrop of World War II, Gallico's tale describes the special relationship that develops between a solitary artist and a girl who grows to appreciate the deformed man's inner beauty.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. This sumptuous version of the classic tale is set during the nineteenth century. The book is thoughtfully designed and illustrated with elegant watercolors. A contrasting play of shadow and light underscores the story's themes, although the lengthy text may put off some readers. The double-page spread of Beauty weeping over her Beast is a moving testament to the transformative power of love.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Two years in the childhood of Frankenstein author Shelley are covered in this longish picture story: with her cousins, Mary walks the Scottish shores and woods and tells ghost stories around the fire, inspiring her later creation. An overwrought style ("Alone now and empty as the horizon, Mary wept") detracts from the dark, moody, gothic watercolors and fresh, intriguing story. Bib.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. These six well-told stories include favorites, such as "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" and a Baba Yaga story, but will also introduce readers to a few less familiar tales. Paying tribute to Hans Christian Andersen's proficiency with cut-paper designs, delicate black silhouettes accompany the short introduction to each selection, and the diminutive illustrations scattered through the text are in muted color. An attractive collection with an old-fashioned feel.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. This reissue features Poole's cool, limpid, flowing text and Barrett's elegant, mysterious illustrations--delicate yet strong, in deep, muted colors. A splendid work, with the flavor of eighteenth-century German Romanticism.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1992

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Poole's treatment of her subject is deeply spiritual, evanescent, a haunting impression of an era, a place, and an enigmatic human being, anchored in time by an adjoined chronology. The text reads like a story, a recounting of an extraordinary event, repeated to a young audience to ensure that Joan's memory would remain alive. Barrett's dramatic full-color illustrations unfold like a gorgeous pageant in this compelling presentation.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1998