THE CHINESE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES by Ying Chang Compestine.  Illus. by David Roberts.  New York:   Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2017.  32p.  ISBN 978-141972542-5 hc. $17.99     Gr. 2-4     E PIC

The best thing about folktales is how authors envision new settings, new twists, and new endings to re-tell the old stories.  In the original version of THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, traveling tailors make invisible clothing for a vain king, and leave town with the large fees he paid for the clothes.  This time, Compestine turns the tables on the dishonest palace administrators who've been steeling from the king.  The young king's tailors help to use the administrators' vanity against them by replacing the costly silks with burlap sacks and telling them that dishonest men can only see burlap, while everyone else sees the true beauty of the silks.   True to the original story, a little child blurts out the truth of the situation during the annual New Year parade.  The illustrator, Roberts, brings prior experience in fashion to the story, creating beautiful and authentic Chinese clothing.  He even makes the burlap look good!
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI