From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—In the Grimm folktale, little Two-Eyes is despised by her family because she is common and sees as ordinary humans do. In Shepard's retelling, sisters One-Eye and Three-Eyes mistreat their youngest sibling because, having seen no one else, they believe her to be "different." Two-Eyes goes off to tend the goat, weeping because she's hungry. A fairy appears and tells her a magic spell that makes the goat provide food. In Grimm, as in Eric Kimmel's One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes (Holiday House, 1996), the goat is butchered after the sisters discover Two-Eyes's good fortune, whereas Shepard has them simply chasing the animal away. Instead of the fairy telling the girl to plant the goat's entrails, Shepard has her planting an ordinary seed. A tree with golden apples grows, and, because only Two-Eyes can pluck the fruit, she eventually marries the prince who asks for an apple. The alterations to the story are consistent with the lighthearted watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, which feature Two-Eyes microwaving her meager leftovers and One-Eye reading "Eye Claudius" while Three-Eyes peruses one book with one eye and a different volume with the other two. Children will enjoy the humor in this reincarnation, and it will make excellent fodder for reader's theater, with a script available on the author's Web site.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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An old tale gets a facelift in this lively version. Two-Eyes is treated badly by her sisters, One-Eye and Three-Eyes, who don't give her enough to eat. One day, she meets another two-eyed lady, who offers her an incantation that will provide plenty of food. The sisters become suspicious, but more charms ensue, leading Two-Eyes to a (literal) knight in shining armor. If the parameters of the story remain the same, the delightful line-and-watercolor artwork bubbles with sly, new details. Although the sisters' wardrobe suggests an earlier time, particulars such as a microwave and a TV add an amusing modernity. Some details will amuse adult readers most--for instance, One-Eye is shown reading Eye Claudius. On a more child-friendly level, one page is divided into six squares that show Two-Eyes up a tree, in every sense of the phrase, trying to sing her sisters to sleep. On the way to happily-ever-after, a good time will be had by all. Ilene Cooper
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