THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

The simple retelling of this brief favorite adheres closely to the original, but most of the fun here is in Stevenson's exuberant illustrations of her rabbit royalty. She follows the bunny prince to the four corners of the earth, imagines some amusingly unsuitable princesses, provides precisely the mentioned number of quilts and mattresses, and generally portrays her characters with engaging affection. Not the only edition to have, of course, but good fun. (Picture book. 5-8)