This is a new interpretation of Prokofiev's classic tale, retold and illustrated in color by Ian Beck. Available separately is a 35 minute cassette of Prokofiev's music with the story told over the music.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 3‘Beck's sprightly retelling of Prokofiev's famous musical fairy tale is especially well suited to young children. He makes every word count in his simple yet elegant narrative. The text is set in clear attractive type, boxed in with a border that incorporates the instruments associated with the characters on the page. This device generally works well, but is not totally consistent. Some children (and adults) will need to flip to the last page where the instruments are identified. The illustrations are bright and nonthreatening, the scariest being a portrait of the wolf right after he swallows the duck, which some might find unnerving. The paintings are rendered in muted pale colors accented with deep, vivid reds, blues, and greens. Beck's style is more straightforward than the folk-art inspired illustrations of Josef Palecek (Picture Book Studio, 1991) and cheerier than the more somber oil paintings by Michele Lemieux (Morrow, 1991; o.p.). He places less emphasis on the introduction of the musical instruments, but that does not detract from the book's appeal. This one is sure to please, whether read one-on-one or to a group.‘Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA