Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde — Michael Hague

Gr 1-4-- Hague's visual interpretation of Wilde's stories is more formal and traditional than Ed Young's The Happy Prince (S. & S., 1992) or P. Craig Russell's comic book version of Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde (NBM, 1992), but it works exceedingly well. His paintings and page decorations are solidly composed and finely detailed; his palette is darker than usual, achieving a note of somberness that complements these sentimental tales of self-sacrifice and misery, friendship and joy. The pictures are lush and velvety, burnished with gold. The collection includes all nine of the pieces Wilde wrote for his sons--``The Remarkable Rocket,'' ``The Devoted Friend,'' and ``The Nightingale and the Rose,'' appear alongside the more familiar ``The Happy Prince,'' ``The Selfish Giant,'' and ``The Birthday of the Infanta.'' This handsome, well-made volume is eminently suitable for gift-giving; libraries looking for the complete set of these tales need look no further. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL