THE UGLY DUCKLING
by Hans Christian Andersen
illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Morrow;ISBN: 068815932X;$16;1999

The American countryside is the setting for this new edition, illustrated with beautifully composed watercolors that convey all the action and drama of the duckling's quest for a place he belongs

Suggested for ages 6 - 8
Subjects: Caldecott Honor | Fairy Tales | Swans

THE ROSE AND THE BEAST: FAIRY TALES RETOLD
by Francesca Lia Block
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0060281294;$14.95;2000

Nine time-honored stories retold in imaginative, sensual prose that blends the conventional with the contemporary and the beastly with the beautiful. Astonishing cover art personifies the duality of the stories.

Suggested for ages 14 - 18
Subjects: Fairy Tales

BUTTONS
by Brock Cole
Farrar, Straus & Giroux;ISBN: 0374310017;$16;2000

Three dutiful yet feckless daughters set out to recover buttons to hold up their dear father's britches in an engaging romp full of enough traditional storytelling magic, humor, adventure and romance to delight both young and old.

Suggested for ages 6 - 9
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Fathers and daughters

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX: BEING THE STORY OF A MOUSE, A PRINCESS, SOME SOUP, AND A SPOOL OF THREAD
by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
ISBN: 0763617229;$17.99;2003

Despereaux Tilling is not like other mice. He has enormous ears and exhibits the most “unmouse-like” behavior—he likes to read books and falls in love with a human princess. A witty, omniscient narrator treats readers to a fairytale filled with drama, suspense, and ultimate forgiveness.

Suggested for ages 8 - 12
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Mice | Newbery Award

KISSING THE WITCH: OLD TALES IN NEW SKINS
by Emma Donoghue
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0060275758;$14.95;1997

Each female narrator of these stories inhabits the place and events of a familiar fairy tale. But here the tales become lyrical, strange stories of love and friendship between women.

Suggested for ages 14 - 16
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Feminism | Homosexuality | Lesbians

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES
by Jacob Grimm
illustrated by Jane Ray
retold by Jane Ray
Dutton;ISBN: 0525455957;$15.99;1996

Where do the king's twelve daughters go every night that leaves their slippers worn clear through? A favorite Brothers Grimm tale is illustrated with wit and precision by Jane Ray, whose princesses reflect many ways of being beautiful.

Suggested for ages 6 - 9
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Folklore | Magic | Princesses

THE WITCH'S BOY
by Michael Gruber
HarperTempest;ISBN: 0060761644;$16.99;2005

An ugly baby boy, raised by a wise woman, nursed by a bear, and tutored by a djinn, causes great unhappiness for himself and others in this elegant, literary fairytale filled with twists on familiar stories.

Suggested for ages 12 - 16
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Mothers and Sons | Witches

THE WITCH'S CHILDREN
by Ursula Jones
illustrated by Russell Ayto
Henry Holt;ISBN: 0805072055;$16.95;2003

The witch’s children wreak havoc when the Eldest One turns a little girl into a frog, and a host of high jinks ensues. Ayto’s wacky drawings, especially of the Little One shouting her one not-so-magic word, give these shenanigans a wickedly funny twist.

Suggested for ages 4 - 8
Subjects: Fairy Tales | Witches