MY FIRST OXFORD BOOK OF STORIES

Twelve chestnuts in standard versions, lightly massaged by McCaughrean (Grandma Chickenlegs, 1999, etc.) and illustrated with plenty of small, finely detailed vignettes. The body count is relatively low: the Big Bad Wolf survives his encounter with Little Red Riding Hood, and sneezes out the six little kids; the first two Little Pigs escape when their houses are blown down; and the Third Billy Goat Gruff merely tosses the troll so high that he takes three days to come down. Similarly, young viewers will not actually see the Gingerbread Boy being eaten, or the wolf marinating in the Third Little Pig’s pot. Happily, the occasional vivid image—the string of villagers trailing willy-nilly behind the Golden Goose are “all glued as close together as the letters in a word”—or turn of phrase gives the tales a few sparks of spontaneity, the Little Red Hen eats the loaf all by herself in this version, and the witch who loans the magic porridge pot turns out to be a merry sort—“Just my little joke,” she croaks, giggling at the sight of dried porridge on the local steeple. Judy Sierra’s Nursery Tales From Around the World (1996) draws from a wider range of traditions, and many collections, led by Anne Rockwell’s Three Bears and 15 Other Stories (1975), are larger gatherings, but this makes a suitable, if conventional, choice for adults searching for a fresh gathering of the perennials to share with younger children. (Folk tales. 8-10)