This charming collection of short stories speaks to de Lint's youngest audience, but the whimsical tales will delight readers of all ages who remain young at heart. These stories are some of de Lint's earliest works, and show a distrinctly "younger" tone that has not yet developed into his mature author's vopice, but they show promise of what is yet to come as each story contains a caring heart with just a sprinkle of magic. I would have lied to see some of these stories adapted into proper picture books, as they would then be much more accessible to young readers. ( )

This is a collection of short stories that de Lint wrote to accompany dolls that his wife made as gifts for the children they knew. Pictures of the dolls accompany each story. Think Wendy Froud's [b:A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale|222218|A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale|Wendy Froud|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172845435s/222218.jpg|215205] on a much smaller, humbler scale. de Lint's book is a slim volume, but it's big on whimsy and charm. Each story has a dark moment, as true fairy tales do, but they end on a happy note, with the characters having learned something about the value of friendship or the power of imagination. Dedicated fans of de Lint will be thrilled to see a cameo appearance from one of Newford's own as a child.

The editor residing in my head is making me say that the book could have used some better editing. The reader in my heart thinks the book might have lost some charm if it had been too polished.

Overall, the collection honestly isn't all that original, but it did charm me. This is probably more of a collector's edition for de Lint fans; I don't think he's going to win over any new fans with this little book. But fans will be pleased to add it to their collections. ( )