ALL THE MAGIC IN THE WORLD
by Wendy Hartmann & illustrated by Niki Daly
From South Africa, a gentle celebration of the power of the imagination. The neighborhood kids make fun of Joseph, the odd- job man, who collects ``junk'' in a special tin—and of clumsy little Lena, who ``always tripped over her own feet.'' But Joseph uses his treasures to comfort Lena: cleverly, he strings pop-tops into a necklace fit for a princess—as Lena, dancing, imagines herself to be. It's ``magic,'' but not from the tin—``You tell me where the magic is found,'' Joseph prompts, as the other children, intrigued by Lena's sudden grace, crowd around. In Daly's lively, beautifully composed illustrations, these exuberant black South Africans have little besides their sense of play and creativity; like Karen Williams's Gallimoto (1990), this simple story suggests that these are most important of all. (Picture book. 5-8)