The Candlewick Book of Bedtime Stories - Hardcover

Ages 3^-7. Unlike the anthology of Bear stories, above, there's nothing to unify the stories in this book. It seems like a good idea to collect 19 simple, popular stories for reading aloud at bedtime, and some of the best authors and illustrators are represented here, including Helen Oxenbury, Martin Waddell, Jan Ormerod, and Debi Gliori. The problem is that these picture books don't really lend themselves to being shortened and compressed. In the original versions, the illustrations aren't just decorative additions to the story, they extend and illuminate what the words say. Here the texts are fully reprinted, but the illustrations have been reduced, sometimes several tiny frames to a page, and the stories' rhythm and drama are diminished. This anthology will work best as a reference for storytellers, parents, librarians, and teachers, who may want to skim through a number of examples before deciding on which picture book to choose. Hazel Rochman

PreSchool-Grade 2-A collection of 17 previously published stories, reprinted with their original illustrations. All are short and suitable for quick reading. Taken individually, the selections are of equally good quality, although no one is outstanding. The problem, as with all such anthologies, is that the disparate formats and styles of illustration are wildly incompatible and result in a cluttered scrapbooklike look. The only thing that unifies the selections is their reassuring, soothing, and usually humorous tone. This volume is more like an encyclopedia of bedtime stories than a treasury. For most collections, it will be redundant. For those who just can't keep up with the demand for evening read-alouds, it's an additional purchase.
Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.