The Barefoot Book of Brother and Sister Tales - Hardcover

Gr. 2-5, younger for reading aloud. Talk about rough childhoods! The siblings in this well-told and illustrated anthology suffer hardship in a myriad of fairy-tale forms: cruel queens, witches, and stepmothers (an author's note addresses the fairy tale tendency to demonize "reconstituted families"); starvation, separation, and loss; and shape-shifting evil enchantments. The siblings are both victims and heroes, finding salvation in magic, the animal world, and within each other. Throughout, as the author notes, the emphasis is on "equality and affection . . . rather than rivalry and discord," and the result is a rich collection of uplifting stories despite the fantastic and often cruel circumstances. With ethnic origins ranging from Japanese to Sudanese to Armenian, the tales contain a few details that may disturb a modern audience: a Moroccan character paints herself in blackface to pose as a servant, for example. But Hoffman retells the stories in clear, captivating language, each the perfect length for a bedtime read, and Emma Shaw-Smith's colorful, highly detailed illustrations, both inset and bordering each page, will keep children engaged. Abbreviated source notes appended. Gillian Engberg
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