THE TWEENY-TINY WOMAN

This retelling of an old English ghost story is designated Level 2 in this publisher's Easy-to-Read series (the books at this level have so few words that they look more like small picture books than easy readers). Less than 300 words long, with plenty of repetition and lots of visual cues, it is accessible to beginning readers. In most versions, the voice that repeatedly demands ``Give me my bone!'' emanates from the bedroom cupboard where the woman has placed a bone that she took from a grave, and ghostly shapes are sometimes pictured lurking there; here, the source of the voice is not pinpointed, and in the end, the frightened woman throws the bone out the window. It's a logical arrangement, but certainly less spooky. The pen-and-ink-and-watercolor illustrations show all the appropriate teeny-tiny accoutrements of the tale. Jane O'Connor's easy version of this story (1986) is a bit longer, has larger type, and slightly less challenging vocabulary. For readers able and willing, try Paul Galdone's charmingly scary edition (1984). (Picture book/folklore. 5-7)