Kindergarten-Grade 3. This graceful retelling of the familiar folktale follows the basic, traditional thread of the story. Rays choice of words and images is always lucid and precise, and the story reads well aloud, although its length is more suited to independent reading. The sumptuous, textured illustrations carry this version above the ordinary. The illustrator employs her trademark gold highlights throughout the finely detailed pictures, but here they are muted rather than gleaming, in keeping with the tone of the story. The earthy palette conveys the mood of the tale, evoking a bleakness that underlies the natural beauty of the childrens surroundings. The forest is at once beautiful and threatening, the lushness of the leaves offset by how the trees dwarf the characters. The gingerbread house is a patchwork of delight, effectively distracting the children from the grim skull-like faces of the gingerbread children surrounding it. The witch is really scary. This winning combination of vivid language, color, and line proves that even with an often-told folktale, there is often room for one more.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA