THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

The familiar Russian tale--decoratively but vapidly pictured--of Ivan the Poor who receives in turn a magic cloth and a goat that gives a golden coin. . . only to be cheated out of them by his greedy brother, Ivan the Rich. But Ivan the Poor's third gift--from the Frost that froze his potful of soup--is a pair of strong men, whose blows induce Ivan the Rich to return the first two, misappropriated gifts. The narrative moves right along, mundanely (eyes ""pop,"" hands are ""rubbed gleefully""); the pictures are effective stylizations of the scenes--without emotional or dramatic force.