The Random House Book of Nursery Stories

The timeless appeal of "Little Red Riding Hood," "The Gingerbread Man," "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," and "Chicken Little," as well as half a dozen other well-loved nursery stories, is renewed in popular illustrator Helen Craig's new collection of illustrated tales. Craig retells 10 of her favorites, illustrating them with her absolutely charming art. Filled with small details, the pictures alone could occupy a child for hours. The third pig's brick cottage in "The Three Little Pigs" is furnished with porcine portraits on the wall, a lovely little blue table with chairs, and delicately decorated pottery, with wood stacked by the fireplace, and cans of open paint nearby--the cabin is brand new, after all! Read aloud, the stories are a perfect introduction to the traditional nursery tales that have helped shape children's imaginations for centuries. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter