JEWELS

African-American heritage and history is personally lauded in a summer of stories told to Lea Mae by her great-grandmother Lea Mae, or 'Ma dear, for whom she is named. From her rocking chair on the front porch, 'Ma dear spins generational tales stretching back to slavery, when her ancestor was helped along the Underground Railroad by Harriet Tubman. Additional anecdotes hopscotch in time, to include the birth of Lea Mae's grandmother in a room without electricity, the adventures of her great-great-great-grandfather in the Civil War, and her own 'Ma dear's early days in New York City, surrounded by such musical luminaries as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Pop Henry approaches a tone of preaching when he imparts the secret of life to Lea Mae, which is not to be bitter in the face of racism. This rosy memory piece paints a fond picture of intergenerational affection, cozily augmented with dappled watercolors; it's a sustaining, family-centered milieu, lovingly reflected in the misty-eyed, dreamy expressions on Lea Mae's and her relatives' faces. (Picture book. 5-8)