This picture-book addition to Colfer's The Land of Stories tales will immediately attract young readers with its eye-catching double-page spreads. The lush landscape almost overwhelms our heroine, a little girl who has run away from her village because she has been bullied. Boxed text, with a purple background and gold borders, gives this an old-fashioned fairy tale feeling, and the little blonde girl even looks like a princess cept for the large glasses that dominate her face and are, along with her exceptionally curly hair, the cause of her misery. After being teased, the girl escapes into the roots of a wise tree. He is different from other trees: roots, trunk, and branches all loop and curl d he talks to her. Offering comfort and support, the curvy tree lifts her high enough to see others like herself and reminds her to look past the horizon. The computer-generated images emphasize the swirls of the tree, and the varying perspectives are done in earthy tones, suggesting the healing power of nature. Sweet and uplifting.

PreS-Gr 2 A girl runs away to the forest and eventually collapses in tears at the foot of a curvy tree. The tree asks the girl why she is crying, and she tells him that the other children in her village are mean to her despite her kindness. They mock her appearance, glasses, speech, and intelligence. In an effort to cheer her up, the tree tells her his own history. Once the other trees teased him for being different, but when loggers came to the forest, they cut down all of the other trees. Being different saved the curvy tree. He was lonely but eventually grew tall enough that he could see other curvy trees in distant forests. From his branches, the girl sees the other trees, and in each one there is a child like her. The tree teaches her that life will improve as she grows and looks outward. The digital artwork is romanticized, befitting the story's tone, but the message is a bit over-the-top and saccharine. VERDICT The well-intentioned story is held back by awkward phrasing and cloying illustrations. Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ