Ada's latest is a continuation of the Hidden Forest series of fairy-tale adventures, but this time, several editions of the Hidden Forest News newspaper replace the letters of the previous books. Subscribers follow many news stories, the most notable being the saga of the mysterious beanstalk and the related disappearance of Jack Blake. Op-ed pieces illustrate the controversy surrounding the beanstalk. Also newsworthy is the closing of Geppetto's toy shop, the beginning of Half-Chicken's journey to Mexico City (both International news) and the intended race between the Tortoise and the Hare (Sports). The "Back Page" lists the advertisements. Readers with a thorough grounding in fairy tales will laugh out loud at the allusions and double entendres that are the hallmark of Ada's writing. Tryon's busy full-color illustrations will keep readers' attention as they search for hidden details. The newspapers themselves are illustrated with small tongue-in-cheek black-and-whites. Teachers of fairy-tale units will love the subtle teaching of newspaper content and layout. A must for every fairy-tale collection. (Picture book. 6-9)

Abandoning the epistolary style of their first three books about the denizens of the Hidden Forest (Dear Peter Rabbit), Ada and Tryon use a newspaper format to tell several stories at once. Tryon alternates black-and-white newspaper pages with watercolors of fairy tale characters to good effect, but the chopped-up tales and scattered extraneous material seem too complex in both narration and vocabulary for the book's target audience. In addition to a tale about Pinocchio and Geppetto, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk appears on news, op-ed and interview pages. Although the paper features some international news, it largely maintains a folksy small-town tone that often feels didactic. The sports pages cover the race between the Hare and the Tortoise, while the Mexican folktale about the Half-chicken makes international news. Some of the funniest bits appear on the newspaper's """"Back Page"""": Mr. Fer O'Cious and Mr. Wolfy Lupus, villains from previous books, offer such enticements as Cooking Lessons where """"You provide the ingredients."""" Ages 5-8.

Gr 1-4-Unlike previous books about the Hidden Forest, which retold traditional fairy tales through a series of letters, this fourth installment uses a newspaper format. Through articles, opinion pieces, and even sports and international pages, several issues of the Hidden Forest News provide the scoop on Jack and the Beanstalk and report on an Italian toymaker who has gone missing while searching for his puppet/son and a race between a hare and a tortoise. Headlines, columns, and black-and-white spot art tell Jack's tale from a variety of viewpoints. Things are livened up by occasional full-color pages painted in bright watercolors that show Hidden Forest residents producing, delivering, and reading the paper. Fans of the series will find their favorite characters in the articles, editorial bylines, and even the advertisements (Mr. Wolfy Lupus is running a summer camp for children). While there is much fun here, the format does make the plot considerably more complicated. Readers unfamiliar with the featured stories may struggle to follow along, while older children who would enjoy the humor may be put off by art with such a young tone. Purchase where the other books are popular.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.