The Faerie's Gift by Tanya Robyn Batt; illustrations by Nicoletta Ceccoli

The Faerie's Gift by Tanya Robyn Batt, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli

On a seemingly ordinary day, a poor woodcutter rescues a faerie from a preying hawk. In return for saving his life, the faerie gives the woodcutter a gift of one wish. As the woodcutter dreams of things he's always desired, he remembers his family back at home and decides that they must all decide on what the wish will be. The woodcutter is more confused than ever when his wife wants him to wish for the child they've never been able to have, his blind mother wants him to wish for her to regain her eyesight, and his father wants him to wish for gold. How can he make his entire family happy with just one wish?


This is the type of enchanting story that many children will love. They will especially enjoy hearing the story read aloud to them. But what steals the show in this book are Nicoletta Ceccoli's breathtaking illustrations. I became a fan of Ceccoli when I saw her magical work with The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum by Kate Bernheimer, a book which I think is the most beautifully illustrated book EVER.

Image courtesy Random House Children's Books

In The Faerie's Gift, Ceccoli's illustrations are three dimensional, and in many cases, the reader is looking at the pictures in the book from a bird's eye view. Combine this with a soft palette, and you're instantly taken into another time, a magical dream world where faeries exist and have the ability to grant wishes to good people. Highly recommended.

Image courtesy Barefoot Books

And if you're as entranced with Ceccoli as I am, check out the artwork she shared with Jules and Eisha featured at at Seven Imp back in April. I just want to decorate my entire house with her artwork.

More information:

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841489980
• ISBN-13: 978-1841489988
• Source of book: Review copy from publisher
  

The Lady of Ten Thousand Names by Burleigh Muten; illustrated by Helen Cann

The Lady of Ten Thousand Names: Goddess Stories from Many Cultures retold by Burleigh Muten, illustrated by Helen Cann
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding: 80 pages
Publisher: Barefoot Books (August 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1841480487
ISBN-13: 978-1841480480


When I was just three months pregnant with my daughter, I was browsing the children's section at a local bookstore already trying to find books for my new child's library. This book jumped out at me, and I simply had to buy it.

The Lady of Ten Thousand Names: Goddess Stories from Many Cultures retold by Burleigh Muten, illustrated by Helen Cann features the following eight retellings of goddess stories from different cultures:

• Egyptian: Isis, The Lady of Ten Thousand Names
• Chinese: Kuan Yin, The Princess who Became a Goddess
• North American, Lakota Sioux: White Buffalo Woman, We Are All One Family
• Welsh: Cerridwen, Mother of Magic
• Scandinavian: Freya, The Blessing Necklace
• Japanese: Ama-terasu, Ama-Terasu's Mirror
• Nigerian-Yoruba: Oshun, The Great Mother
• Greek: The Triple Goddess, Persephone, Demeter, and Hekate

There is a brief introduction at the beginning of each story that gives some background information about the featured goddess. For example, in the Nigerian-Yoruba story, we learn that Oshun has been worshiped for thousands of years, and one of her powers, among many, is to bring children to couples who don't have any. We then read the story of how Oshun "bargained with the gods as they prepared the Earth for the first humans and of how she gave birth to these first humans."

Each story in the book is fairly short (5-8) pages, and through each one, children learn about the goddess and her culture. The illustrations also depict cultural symbols and clothing.

This would be a great book for any child who likes mythology. It would also be a great way to introduce children to many different cultures around the world.