In a new version of a classic Grimm fairy tale, Princess Raina, helping a potential suitor climb a glass mountain as a contest to win her love, falls through a crack near the top and into Old Rinrank's underground world. Kindergarten-Grade 4-In this adaptation of a lesser-known Grimms' tale, a princess climbs a glass mountain with her true love to help him win her hand. When Raina and Jared are almost at the top, she falls through a crack and into an underground cave, where she becomes the prisoner of an unpleasant little man. Old Rinkrank leaves every day to gather more gold for his buried hoard while Raina cleans his house and cooks his dinner. Eventually, she forgets who she is, but her memory begins to return when Old Rinkrank calls her "Mother Houserot." She tricks and traps the old man, escapes, and is reunited with her father and Jared. Later, Raina and her fianc? return to the underground house and dig up Old Rinkrank's hoard. Instead of using the treasure for their own "luxury and joy" as in the original tale, they use it to build a beautiful public garden. Wolkstein makes the story her own in other ways, fleshing it out with details and gearing it for modern sensibilities without diminishing it. The narrative demonstrates a precise balance of economy and detail, painting vivid images without resorting to florid description. Bauer's exuberant watercolor-and-gouache paintings flow with color and movement, wonderfully enhancing the story. The illustrations are packed with detail yet convey spaciousness, except, appropriately, in the gloomy, claustrophobic underground scenes. A polished effort that brings an old gem to light. Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. PLB 0-688-14848-4 A lighthearted, superfluous version of the Grimms' tale of Old Rinkrank, in which a princess outsmarts an underground, troll-like character. The princess's suitors have to win her hand by scaling a glass mountain; when she helps a young man named Jared, the princess falls through a crack in the glass and is imprisoned in an underground cave. The demanding Old Rinkrank commands her to be his servant. After forgetting and then recalling her own identity, Raina plots her escape, returning home safely to the great joy of her father and her suitor. Missing is Jared and the king's lamentation over the princess's disappearance; added is a loaded subplot of capturing, then freeing, an aviary of birds, symbolizing the princess's freedom. Also added is an ending in which Rinkrank mysteriously disappears, as compared to the king's destruction of him in the original. Rinkrank's recovered treasure is here used to create a garden paradise for young and old. The innocuous heroine is depicted with rosy cheeks amid opulent scenery, waiting to awaken to her true self. (Picture book/folklore. 5-10) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Wolkstein's imaginative adaptation of a Grimm tale delivers a spunky heroine while remaining true to traditional fairy-tale hallmarks. -- Publishers Weekly, June 21, 1999 I love stories. They give me strength, Inspiration, courage, and great delight. For thirty years I've told stories at the statue of Hans Christian Andersen in Central Park. I love watching the eyes of my audience light up as they enter stories. Stories let us explore the farthest places in the universe and the deepest recesses of the human heart. They present possibilities. They let us try out different emotions and characters. Stories are treasures which last forever. I also enjoy gardening, dancing, swimming, painting, and creating stories with music. My daughter, Rachel Zucker, is a poet, photographer, and the mother of a little boy named Moses. Diane Wolkstein has collected and told stories on five continents. Her lively presentations worldwide have become as legendary as the annual storytelling performances she gives in New York City's Central Park. Ms. Wolkstein is the author of over twenty books, including such award winners as Esther's Story and Little Mouse's Painting . From her repertory of over two thousand stories, The Glass Mountain is one of her favorites. Used Book in Good Condition