THE LEGEND OF THE PERSIAN CARPET

Children who've been told of the diamond's legendary hardness may question the ease with which this one is shattered. A king, accustomed to dwelling in a light-filled room where a large diamond creates a million rainbows, is bereft when it's stolen and smashed, and thereafter takes his only pleasure in staring at the fragments, away from the subjects who need him. An apprentice weaver comes up with the idea of making a magnificent carpet that will lure the king back to his duties. It works. But, unfortunately, neither the words nor the art here convincingly suggests the lure of the diamond's prismatic play or the carpet's intricate patterns. Readers will have to take these on faith. Still, Ewart's illustrations are prettily evocative of old Persia, and perhaps the tale will pique interest in this ancient art form. (Picture book. 4-8)