ALA Booklist

Russell continues his project of imagining the nineteenth-century Irish storyteller's tales in picture-book-size graphic novel format. Lush color and a balanced mix of figurative styles provide readers with the opportunity to engage immediately and completely with the two stories included in this volume. The first tale, The Devoted Friend, is a fable about friendship's limits; the second, The Nightingale and the Rose, is about an ungrateful lover. Russell uses much of Wilde's original text and maintains the writer's tone, altering the style of the images to suit the mood of each retelling. Readers older than the target audience may also enjoy this pictorial interpretation.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

The fourth graphic art adaptation of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales retains its sharp edge and wit while making the two stories especially appealing to those readers who love comic books. Russell uses Wilde's rich language to good effect in his retellings; the clear, expressive drawings capture both the individual characters and the overall spirit of each work.

School Library Journal (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Gr 4-7 Russell continues his accessible, comic-book adaptations of Wilde's fairy tales. "The Devoted Friend" is the story of the one-sided relationship between a rich, selfish miller and a poor, kindhearted gardener. The miller claims to be Hans's most devoted friend and the naive young man believes every word he says, which ultimately leads him to his death. In "The Nightingale and the Rose," a student laments his lack of red roses, which he believes will help him win the heart of a fickle young woman. A selfless nightingale sets out to find him such a flower. The bird must sacrifice its own life to aid the young man who, when he delivers the rose to his love, finds she now prefers jewels. Russell's vivid artwork and graphic-novel style open Wilde's tragic stories to a new audience while remaining true to his thoughtful, moral prose. Karen T. Bilton, Somerset County Library, Bridgewater, NJ