Outside the king’s palace grows an enormous tree, its top hidden in the clouds. It’s so tall that no one has ever climbed to the top or collected any of its seeds. Rosa's stepmother and stepsister Irma always call her a monkey because she can climb anything from drainpipes to trees. So when the king proclaims that whoever brings down seeds from the tree will marry his son, strong and sprightly Rosa decides to make her stepfamily regret their words. Shelley Fowles’s enchanting illustrations highlight this gloriously funny adaptation of a traditional Hungarian folktale. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Fowles (The Bachelor and the Bean) offers a witty addition to the plucky-fairy-tale-heroine shelf. When the king decides that his son, the bookwormish Prince Andras, needs to be married off, he decrees that the young woman "clever enough" to bring back seeds from the kingdom's tallest tree will have his hand. Rosa, a village girl, "could climb anything" (her stepmother and stepsister, Irma, made her sleep out on the roof). But as Rosa makes her ascent up the tree, Irma hangs onto her hem and then pushes Rosa out of the tree just when the heroine grabs the seeds. No matter-a twist still lands a happily-ever-after ending. Fowles's talent for deliciously astringent prose ("You're costing me a fortune in candles," grumbles the King to his layabout bibliophile son. "A wife would sort you out") is matched by her gift for creating scenes of dreamy, intensely hued romanticism. The result is a wonderful narrative counterpoint that makes the story feel compelling and energetic even after repeated readings. What's more, anyone who thinks Cinderella was far too forgiving will applaud Fowles's ending: Irma remains stuck up in the tree. "Maybe I will go and rescue her" Rosa tells her new husband. "But not yet!" Ages 4-8. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 1-3-This amusing, sometimes-choppy text is an amalgam of folkloric elements from Hungary. The story centers on an enormously tall tree, a woman who likes to climb, and a prince who sits around all day reading. His father says, "You're costing me a fortune in candles," and decides to hold a competition. "The woman clever enough to climb our tree and bring back some seeds can have your hand in marriage. You shall be First Prize!" Rosa is the spunky young woman who passes the test. Unfortunately, her unpleasant stepsister tags along, grabs the seedpod away from her, and then knocks her out of the tree. As Rosa falls, she moans, "Now I'll never win the contest!" but then "CRASH!," she lands on the reclining prince and seeds fall out of her hair. Ink-and-acrylic illustrations playfully illuminate the humorous text. Stylized animals and folk-art representations of clothing and buildings grace each page as well as the endpapers. Libraries that already circulate copies of Fowles's The Bachelor and the Bean (Farrar, 2003) will likely want this new offering.-Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

PreS-Gr. 2. Richly colored pictures with a folk art feel tell the story of a poor young woman who earns a prince's hand in marriage by climbing an enormous tree. The king has promised his book-loving son to the woman who fetches seeds from a treetop. With skill and luck, Rosa succeeds, despite the efforts of her mean stepsister, with whom she exchanges catty remarks about being ugly. Accomplished in acrylics and pen-and-ink, the attractive illustrations are further enlivened with tiny details and flower patterns. Touches of humor, a sprightly font, and strong visual pacing add to the charm. The story bears little resemblance to the Hungarian tale listed as its source, but it still has both an appealing fairy-tale quality and a satisfying end. --Kathleen Odean Copyright 2006 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.