THE FLOWER FAERIE
by Frank Asch & illustrated by Vladimir Vagin
An original tale about a fairy captured and displayed as a trophy by an armor-clad emperor, who refuses to release his prize even when all the flowers in the kingdom die and his people are threatened with famine. The emperor is moved by neither rumors of rebellion nor his sensitive son's pleading; nonetheless, after the boy secretly rescues the magical creature, prosperity returns and amity is restored between father and son, as well as between ruler and subjects. Though Vagin's palette of green, blue, and magenta is distinctly contemporary, his illustrations seem to have been inspired by Italian quattrocento paintings. Pretty to look at, with a somewhat nebulous but well-intentioned message about respect for nature: a sugarplum of a book. (Picture book. 6-10)