THE THREE PRINCES

Determined to marry the poorest—and most handsome—of the princes vying for her hand, the princess sends them for ``the rarest thing'' each can find. The wonders they bring when they meet a year later are similar to those in ``The Princess Nouronnihar and the Three Rarities'' in The Arabian Nights: a flying carpet, a crystal ball, and a life-restoring orange. Kimmel eliminates details of the princes' quests to focus on their discovery (through the crystal ball) that the princess is deathly ill, their return to her via the carpet, her recovery after eating the orange, and her choice of her original beloved on the grounds that only he has given up his treasure to save her life (in The Arabian Nights version, the princess's uncle—who's also the princes' father—makes this judgment; Kimmel makes the princes cousins, not brothers). Both Fisher and Kimmel provide notes. The artist details using acrylics over chalk and black underpainting to create his luminous double spreads; Kimmel doesn't cite specific sources, but he does mention Egyptian, Moroccan, and Persian versions as well as the tale's inclusion in ``later editions'' of The Arabian Nights. A smooth, accessible adaptation, much enhanced by the spare, powerful art. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8)