<p> As Geraldine McCaughrean writes: "Once upon a time, our ancestors told stories to explain to each other how the world began, or how a mountain or a lake came into being, or the wind or the sun. Then they told stories about their own forebears: legends of half-remembered heroes of ancient times, or of ordinary people whose lives were changed by some mystery or who performed some great deed." </p><p> <i>The Crystal Pool</i> is the fourth of Geraldine McCaughrean's glorious collections of such myths and legends. It contains her retellings of twenty-eight tales, including stories from Japan, Siberia, Norway, China, Egypt, ancient Greece, Ghana, Australia, the United States, and elsewhere. Bee Willey has painted remarkable pictures full of magic and mystery that reflect and enhance the tales. </p><p> Like <i>The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure,</i> and <i>The Bronze Cauldron, The Crystal Pool</i> combines the great gifts of Geraldine McCaughrean and Bee Willey in a book that will delight and enrich everyone who loves a story.</p>
