Max and Ruby's Midas (Picture Puffins)

Rating:
Summary: "Enchanting Rewrite of a Classic Tale"
Review: "Hello, Beautiful!" whispers three-year-old Max to his strawberry cupcake. Seven-year old sister Ruby steps in to foil his nighttime snack raid. In Greek mythology, King Midas had a golden touch. In Ruby's bedtime story, little prince Midas has a sweet touch - or tooth. His expressive "laser-beam" eyes transform yucky veggies into delicious desserts. But he zaps his unsuspecting family into sweets as well.

The text is more detailed than a typical Max and Ruby board book written for toddlers. The advanced vocabulary includes words such as pomegranate, persuading, escalarium (a word created for this book, I believe), banister, and drainpipes. When Max zaps his mother, I had to explain to my daughter, who is slightly younger than the recommended reader level of 4 - 8 years, that mom had been changed into the cherry float. Otherwise my daughter followed the story line down to the unexpected ending. If you enjoy Wells' magical Greek myth, then try Max and Ruby's First Greek Myth: Pandora's Box.

Rating:
Summary: "Enchanting Rewrite of a Classic Tale"
Review: "Hello, Beautiful!" whispers three-year-old Max to his strawberry cupcake. Seven-year old sister Ruby steps in to foil his nighttime snack raid. In Greek mythology, King Midas had a golden touch. In Ruby's bedtime story, little prince Midas has a sweet touch - or tooth. His expressive "laser-beam" eyes transform yucky veggies into delicious desserts. But he zaps his unsuspecting family into sweets as well.

The text is more detailed than a typical Max and Ruby board book written for toddlers. The advanced vocabulary includes words such as pomegranate, persuading, escalarium (a word created for this book, I believe), banister, and drainpipes. When Max zaps his mother, I had to explain to my daughter, who is slightly younger than the recommended reader level of 4 - 8 years, that mom had been changed into the cherry float. Otherwise my daughter followed the story line down to the unexpected ending. If you enjoy Wells' magical Greek myth, then try Max and Ruby's First Greek Myth: Pandora's Box.

Rating:
Summary: Max and Ruby's Midas Misses the Point
Review: Up until now I thought I liked all of Rosemary Wells' stories... but Midas is simply awful. Not only is some of the artwork gruesome, but the story fails to deliver anything close to the original message of how gold (or make-substitution-here) is not the end-all of life.

In Well's version, Ruby tells her little brother about an 'ancient' Max (Midas), who instead of turning everything into gold with a touch, turns everyone into dessert with his laser eyes. Mom is zapped. Dad is zapped, and there is no sign of regret until sister is changed into a slice of cake. Then, without explanation, there is a sudden change of heart. (I guess one can only conclude that it was okay to zap mom and dad but not sis.)

The text is not the only problem though. The pictures of Max and his blood-red eyes are strange. Supposedly laser light, the emanations stream down in arches, not in straight lines. It looks more like Max is leaking blood from his eyes. Yeech.

Can't recommend it.