From Publishers Weekly
Aiken's 1968 collection of eight tales, A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories, infused with magic (such as flying carpets, an oversize cat and a house that rests "on one leg") returns with more than 60 new b&w illustrations by Kevin Hawkes. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. The pleasure of seeing this excellent short-story collection back in print is heightened by the addition of Kevin Hawkes' new black-and-white artwork. Many of the drawings are strongly reminiscent of Wanda Gag's illustration. In fact, the publishers' note on Hawkes mentions that he created these pictures "in the tradition of The Story of Ferdinand and Millions of Cats." A typical double-page spread includes one or two drawings, well-shaded, rounded, and full of lively details. Combining elements of folklore with her own inventive touches, Aiken transports readers to places where tigers talk to little girls; people travel by trains, flying carpets, and even flying pies; and magic has a way of bringing justice to the world. With its fine-tuned combination of folklore and fun, this collection is a good source of imaginative tales to read alone or aloud. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Here are eight gloriously imaginative stories for eight satisfying sessions of bedtime reading. There’s a flying apple pie, a cat that’s bigger than an elephant, a house that lays an egg, storybook animals that leap out of their books at night, and a wealth of other wonderful characters and ideas, all with the colorful, dreamlike quality of the very best fairy tales. Joan Aiken’s delicious prose is a joy to read aloud to very young listeners yet simple enough for the independent reader to savor on his or her own. Kevin Hawkes’s illustrations–nearly 60 of them–capture with great flair and fun the magical adventures and the triumph of the good over the bad.


Card catalog description
These eight stories, most of which include a bit of magic, include tales of a wishing mat, an enormous cat, and a very strange house.

FROM THE PUBLISHER