THE SEA-BREEZE HOTEL

Deciding that if there are to be no guests at the hotel where his granddad Henry is handyman—the incessant wind has driven them all away—at least they can have fun, Sam builds a kite. Henry, the elderly housekeeper, and the owner follow suit; their imaginatively improvised kites attract attention; and people are soon flocking to the hotel to join in. This literal variant of cooking the metaphorical wolf at the door is told with ingenuous good humor, while the subject makes a perfect vehicle for Mullins's innovative collages of tissue, torn paper, and realia; here, her characters are added in a few deft, airy pencil strokes. The events may be slight, but the art is intriguing, the enthusiasm contagious. (Picture book. 4-8)