The Child's Story Book — Kay Chorao

Children who cuddled up with Chorao's The Baby's Story Book and The Baby's Lap Book can graduate to the fairy tales collected in this volume. In addition to ``Jack and the Beanstalk,'' ``Hansel and Gretel,'' ``The Pied Piper'' and ``The Ugly Duckling,'' Chorao includes two lesser-known tales. In ``The Wonderful Teakettle'' from Japan, a misused teakettle turns into a roly-poly badger and is eventually befriended by a tinker, who feeds it sugarplums. In ``The Lion and the Hare,'' a delightful tale from Botswana, the audacious Mmutlastet, a precursor of Brer Rabbit, manages to outfox the slow-witted lion with classic panache. Simple, clear prose is graced by gentle illustrations; this is a volume for a thoughtful child to linger over on rainy days. Ages 4-8. (October)