A popular Alabama folktale is given new life, when Wiley encounters the Hairy Man in the swamp one day. Clever Wiley manages to trick the mean ogre the first time - but Wiley's mama, who knows magic, tells him that he has to fool the Hairy Man twice more if the creature is to stay away for good.

When a terrible witch vows to eat her for supper, a little girl escapes with the help of a mirror and comb given to her by the witch's cat and dog.

An original creation in the tall-tale tradition, Isaacs' rip-roaring narrative tells of a pioneer woman's transformation into Swamp Angel, summarizes her developing abilities, and focuses on her greatest triumph: the defeat of a marauding bear. Zelinsky, working on cherry and maple veneers, has adapted elements of American folk art; his sense of line matches the exuberance of the text so that the effect is a seamless interpretation.

The original legend of John Henry and how he beat the steam drill with his sledgehammer has been enhanced and enriched, in Lester's retelling, with wonderful contemporary details and poetic similes that add humor, beauty, and strength. Pinkney's evocative illustrations - especially the landscapes, splotchy and impressionistic, yet very solid and vigorous - are little short of magnificent.

Princess Miserella is beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside. Plain Jane is just the opposite. When a slightly muddled Good Fairy takes a hand, things get put right in a most unexpected way.