MR. PAK BUYS A STORY
by Carol Farley & illustrated by Benrei Huang
A retelling of a Korean tale (also found, couched in a somewhat more literary style, in Frances Carpenter's Tales of a Korean Grandmother, 1947) about a foolish servant who spends a hundred of his master's gold coins for a spurious story that in truth is little more than a few sentences describing the actions of a stork: ``He steps carefully. Now he comes closer,'' etc. The story turns out to be worth its price when it frightens away a thief who hears the master reciting, ``He bends down! Now he creeps forward! Danger!'' In Farley's version, the would-be thief and the swindler who sells Mr. Pak the story are the same character, adding a funny and satisfying ``hoist-on-his-own-petard'' element to the ending. Huang's lighthearted acrylic and colored pencil illustrations, each framed within a different border, are full of details of traditional Korean life. A large, casual typeface that resembles hand-lettering adds to the book's attractive design. (Picture book/folkore. 7-10)