ALICE THE FAIRY

Young David, who ran bare-bottomed into the hearts of zillions, has a sister—or at least a kindred spirit! Unlike her nonverbal relative, though, she’s quite a chatterbox. Introducing herself as a “Temporary fairy,” she proceeds to demonstrate tricks she can do—magically turning Dad into a horsie, a plateful of Dad’s cookies into her cookies, and, by waving her wand too close to a glass of juice, a white dress into a red one—and can’t—making the dog, or her strewn clothes, float off the floor. A peg-toothed child sporting tied-on wings, and a sequined tiara atop blonde curls, Alice dances through Shannon’s blotchy, scribbled domestic scenes. Her big personality shines forth from both pictures and hand-lettered nattering, and the touch of vulnerability that he adds to her brash self-confidence makes her all the more likable. Watch out, Olivia. (Picture book. 5-7)