FIVE SISTERS

A childless couple encounters magic in their woodland home.

At the story’s beginning, the despondent husband visits an oak he’s grown from a sapling. The kindly tree proffers a branch as thanks for its “gift of life.” From this the man carves five brightly patterned wooden dolls that are imbued with magic. The woman cherishes them as longed-for daughters, and the couple is overjoyed. Their happiness is short-lived, however. Spying a wolf lurking, the man chases it away, but having devoured the dolls, the animal disgorges the pieces and flees. Heartbroken, the man wraps the remains in flowers and places them in the hollow trunk of the magical oak. And oh, what miracles follow! The story, in the style of a traditional folktale, presents themes about the natural world and the joys of children and family but is bogged down by florid, stilted prose that may confound young readers. The sprightly, colorful folkloric illustrations, portraying the white couple wearing Eastern European folk garb, don’t always jibe with the text. The old man’s hair is sometimes black, sometimes gray while the old woman’s is consistently gray. The text is set against colored backgrounds; occasionally, white type is difficult to discern against pale backdrops.

Lively illustrations don’t make up for a skippable story.