LUCKY SONG

Lucky Erie—what she wants, she gets. "Now this little Evie wanted to do something, so she got ready. She wanted something new to wear, and on the hook she found it." When Evie wants to fly a kite, the wind takes it. When she wants supper, her grandma has it ready, and when she wants a song, her father sings it—the text of the book itself, an abstract ode to contentment. Evie appears to be about four, and in the last scene, points the way to readers: "If you want to hear that song again, go back to the beginning." The comforts and joys of someone her age are well understood by Williams (Scooter, 1993, etc.), and the pictures, putting Evie center stage, emphasize the importance of the child in her benign and homey surroundings. Supporting her independence, though, are family members who one by one contribute to her activities. Intense colors and exuberant poses compensate for the sometimes unfinished look of the art—Evie's hair changes, and her grandfather is a funny, balding child/man. The overall effect is as lively and spontaneous as a child's perfect day—and that makes this a very lucky song for readers. (Picture book. 3-5)