WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO?
by Toni Teevin & illustrated by Janet Pedersen
A lonely old lady bakes bread to feed the birds and ends up with more than she bargained for in this amusing modern folktale. Sophie lives alone with her cow and cabbages and longs for companionship. Every day she dons her big orange hat and fringed shawl to get water at the well. When Sophie discovers birds singing at the well, she is so delighted she bakes them sweet, golden bread. At first Sophie loves the twittering, tweeting birds flocking to gobble her bread crumbs. But as more and more birds arrive, Sophie’s days become a floury nightmare of kneading and baking to satiate the cacophony of screeching, squawking, snatching and scratching. Wondering “what to do” about her pesky feathered friends, Sophie seeks guidance from Velma, a traveling gypsy fortune teller. But when Velma proves every bit as greedy as the birds, Sophie finally hits on the perfect solution. Pederson’s watercolors, light as air and cartoon-silly, cast Sophie as a good-natured peasant in an Eastern European setting. Ever so clever and charming. (Picture book. 4-8)