A fresh and spirited retelling of an oft-told Scottish tale. When the poor widow’s only sow, turns her “trotters” in the air and appears ready “to leave this world for the next,” the widow makes a deal with the green fairy. After the fairy revives the sow she demands the woman’s baby Robert. According to tradition the fairy may not take the baby until the mother is given three days to guess the green fairy’s real name—and in the style of Rumplestiltskin, she manages to do so. The soft watercolor illustrations are charming and expand on the mood of the tale. The fairy is not obviously green but the widow and baby are just ragged enough. The one major flaw—and it is major—is the unfortunate choice of typeface. The font is far from reader-friendly and will cause young readers much frustration. An author’s note explains the origin of the tale and compares to variant retellings. (Folktale. 4-8)
