FAIRY TALE FEASTS

For a really nice idea wonderfully fulfilled, Yolen retells very familiar tales in versions lively, brief and energetic: Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and a number of others. Her daughter, Stemple, adds recipes to each tale, sometimes with tenuous connection but always with humor. These are great recipes for French toast, carrot soup, lemon chicken, mashed turnips that are straightforward, relatively easy to make with adult and child working together and good to eat. Measurements are given in American and British amounts and possible substitutions are noted and suggested. The colorful, whimsical illustrations hit just the right note both in full-page versions and smaller vignettes; for instance, “The Magic Pot of Porridge” shows a small house with a roof tilted crazily due to porridge pressure. Notes on the stories and on the recipes fill sidebars, and these are clear, accurate and engaging to both young and older readers. (Fairytales/cookbook. 8-14)