A clever and beautiful woman uses her wits to get her husband out of Prince Vladimir's prison. Grade 2 Up This traditional Russian tale has a plot familiar to many culturesa clever wife saves the life of her husband after disguising herself as a man. (``The Lute Player'' by Andrew Lang, contained in The Violet Fairy Book, is a similar and far superior version.) Having withstood the passing of years, the basic story survives this rather pedestrian retellingbut just barely. The writing is clear yet lacks distinction and fails to convey a true Russian feeling. Accompanying the bland text are San Souci's watercolors which contain carefully-researched details (as the book jacket boasts) but are so poorly composed that they fail as illustrations. The figures remain stiff and static while the colors are over-worked and muddied. As strong as the basic plot of the story may be, it can hardly sustain such colorless writing or ineffective illustrations. Libraries would be advised to ignore this retelling and purchase an additional copy of Lang's Violet Fairy Book.Denise A. Anton, Cornbelt Library System, Normal, Ill. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.