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THE MAGIC WELL by Maida Silverman

THE MAGIC WELL

By

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 1989
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

A new story that blends elements of the Scottish tale of Tamlin and Wilhelm Grimm's Dear Mili in a contemporary situation: Janet's mother leaves her alone while she goes to work in the morning; later in the day, as they are gathering berries together, the tired mother falls asleep and Janet is lured into the Fairy Queen's realm, down a well. There, Janet must stay until she finds a way for her mother to set her free--by holding her fast through a series of shape changes until Janet at last becomes herself again. While not outstanding, the story is smoothly told. The detailed, delicately limned illustrations have an old-fashioned appeal with romantic fairy-tale settings and Greenaway-like figures. Mother and Fairy Queen, apparently unintentionally, have the same face.