Translator David Walser and illustrator Jan Pie n ´ kowski introduce these four tales—“Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Cinderella”—by detailing their personal fascination with folk literature, fol lowed by a brief history of Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. The first three are from an early, i.e., “grizzly” (vi) version by the Brothers Grimm (red-hot shoes and all), but “Cinderella” is drawn from Perrault’s less vindictive ver sion. What will mesmerize readers is the combination of Walser’s language, in which he “preserve[s] the peculiar qualities of the original phrasing” (ix), and Pie n ´ kowski’s lacy silhouettes, delicate yet perfectly detailed with multihued marbled backgrounds. Everything else is a bonus. 2007 USBBY Outstanding International Books List. lmp

Originally published in this form by Puffin Great Britain, in 2005; “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Cinderella” first published by William Heine mann and Gallery Five Great Britain, in 1977. Translated by David Walser.