MEGGIE MOON

An intrepid girl teaches junkyard bullies that girls are clever, creative and fun. Along the way, readers learn a valuable lesson on the joys of recycling. Digger and Tiger’s domain is the ominous sounding “Yard,” a place of scrap heaps and discarded objects. Into this territory enters Meggie Moon, who is not at all cowed by the duo’s disparaging remarks. Baguley’s playful, descriptive language saves the characters from being flat and one-dimensional: The boys go “together like a garbage can and its lid,” while her wryly understated reflection on Meggie’s gargantuan imagination is, “Meggie had ideas.” Meggie’s ideas are indeed grand; she woos the boys with ingeniously constructed race cars and fabulous forts. Finally, Meggie leaves, but in her wake she plants the seed of creativity, leaving the boys bursting with plans. Mabire’s cartoon-like illustrations offer their own measure of inventiveness. Slyly poking holes in the theory that tough boys and smart girls can’t find a common meeting ground, Baguley’s hearty tale will set imaginations sailing. (Picture book. 4-8)