In stories, songs, and poems, fairies have lived tantalizingly close to human folk for centuries. Unpredictable and elusive, they've brought luck and done harm, while people have longed for a glimpse of their magical world. <P>In his illustrations for this rich and varied collection, Michael Hague, one of America's most beloved painters of fantasy, creates a fabled world that belongs to the fairies. There is the lost flower fairy Thumbelina, the cruel and clever goblins of Christina Rossetti's <I>Goblin Market,</I> and the invisible creatures of James Barrie's <I>Lock-out Time.</I> Readers will also meet a helpful brownie, a girl with an unlucky name, and two elves who act like playground bullies! <P> Readers will find themselves transported to fairyland as they read these delightful works and savor the mesmerizing full-color and black-and-white illustrations. Michael Hague's art has never been so enchanting.