MANDY

In her first book, Booth tells a realistic story about a deaf child's day with her widowed grandmother. The main event here is that Grandma loses her treasured 25th-aniversary pin while the two are taking a country walk; that evening, despite her fear of the dark, Mandy is lucky enough to find the pin with the help of a flashlight. Meanwhile, Booth has presented the differences and similarities that go with being deaf; though she weaves the information into her story with skill, it's evident that including it is her primary purpose. LaMarche's rather formal realistic art is well crafted; portraits of the two characters are especially perceptive and appealing. (Picture book. 6-10)