THE BEAUTY WHO WOULD NOT SPIN. Fasick, Adele Mongan. Illustrated by Leslie Elizabeth Watts. Richmond Hill (Ont.), North Winds Press, 1989. 30pp. paperbound boards. $16.95. ISBN 0-590-71865-7. CIP Grades 1 to 3 / Ages 6 to 8 Reviewed by Allison Mews Volume 17 Number 3 1989 May This gentle retelling of an old Irish folk-tale describes how a beautiful but poor village girl became a princess through the intervention of three unusual women whom she had befriended. These women, whose abilities to weave, spin and sew appear magical, assist Anastasia when the queen sets her three impossible tasks. The tasks completed, she is free to marry the prince but faces a future where her deception is sure to be revealed. The arrival of the women at her wedding leads to the discovery that the women's deformities have resulted from extended hours with needle, loom and spinning wheel. The prince then determines that these fates shall not befall his lovely bride and declares that she will never again perform needlework tasks. Thus she neatly outwits the queen and is able to use her talents of kindness and fairness to solve the problems of the kingdom. There are no villains in this readable fairy-tale. All the characters, including the queen, are pleasant and well meaning. The Illustrations are also gentle, done in soft colour washes that appropriately extend the text. This magical tale of kindness rewarded is a welcome addition to the growing number of picture-books composed of single fairy-tales. A successful first collaboration. Allison Mews, Memorial University of Newfoundland. St. John's, Nfld.