ELSIE PIDDOCK SKIPS IN HER SLEEP

Voake's ink-and-watercolor sketches match the delicate clarity of Farjeon's prose to perfection in this small, handsomely turned-out volume that makes available to a new generation a classic tale of tyranny overcome. The tale is filled with fairies and children, led by heroic Elsie, who both at seven and at a hundred and seven could skip rope, even with her eyes closed. Elsie so impresses the fairies that they teach her their own skills—and a century later she puts them to good use when a greedy landowner attempts to build a factory on the hilltop where fairies and generations of children have traditionally gone to jump rope. The story is still spry and wise, and Voake makes this neglected literary gem—and unforgettable read-aloud—look new. (Fiction. 8-11)