KING MIDAS

“Golden touch” indeed: considering this illustrator’s fondness for incorporating gold into her art, both in great solid swaths and as a major element in her famously intricate borders and finely detailed clothing, it’s a wonder that she’s taken so long to get to this tale. Here, she casts Midas as an empty-headed sort, who not only suffers from a carelessly phrased wish that “everything” he touches turns to gold, but also chooses poorly between Apollo’s heavenly music and Pan’s blatting, and so ends up with a pair of big, gray ass’s ears. Crowned by a magnificent fold-out spread, the pictures are simply dazzling, with the richly dressed king, delicately drawn flora, fauna, and other figures both human and divine floating against deep, richly hued color fields. Repentant, Midas is able to wash off the golden touch at last—but, rather unkindly, Demi (Gandhi, 2001, etc.) leaves him his hairy ears. Sophisticated readers may prefer John W. Stewig’s sardonic rendition (1999), but this version captures the tale’s humor along with its point, and the illustrations really light up the room. (Folktale. 7-10)