Set against the backdrop of a magical forest, this is the story of three noble princes seeking the Heart of the World to change the fate of their father's declining kingdom.

Loved, loved, loved the cover! Well, I pretty much loved all the artwork. :) In particular I enjoyed the cute little patches of mushrooms springing up in most of the forest paintings. The tree - the Heart of the World - was, simply, perfect. Trees have always been and, I suspect, will always be wondrous beings for me. Perhaps that's why I so enjoy fairy tales featuring enchanted woods and forests. I also enjoyed the fairy tale itself, which I interpreted to warn against the dangers of losing focus. Children would most likely see it as a lesson in obedience and ignoring temptation.

5 stars ( )

An original fairy-tale written and illustrated by one of the master's in the fairy tale realm. I use it to illustrate how fairy tale elements can be created to make new stories that sound very traditional.
( )

The Enchanted Wood tells the story of a kingdom suffering from a terrible drought. The king sends his three sons to find the Heart of the World and relieve the drought. To do this, the sons must travel through a magical forest that enchants anyone who steps off the path and leads them astray. This book has richly detailed and colorful images of the forest. Ruth Sanderson also makes the characters' faces look very realistic. The pages are mostly covered by pictures and the text is beneath the images. I think that third, fourth, and fifth graders would enjoy this book. I would offer this story in my classroom if the students were studying fantasy and fairytales. Students could compare and contrast this story to other fairytales in order to draw conclusions about the fairytale genre's typical structure and archetypes. ( )