The mystery of disappearing items has been revealed: fairies. While you sleep, these delicate, yet difficult creatures are hard at work chattel rustling.
"Fairy Dreams" by Carol McLean-Carr is a beautiful book filled with light airy fairies in full floaty aerial formation. Combining the best ideas of the "I Spy" series with lushly digital artwork of magical beings, McLean-Carr has created a book that blends delight with discovery.
At the beginning of the book, a number of fairies steal into a little girl's room under cover of night. They are so enamored with the girl's belongings that they can't resist taking a few with them. But as the featherbrained fairies head back to their fairyland, they misplace the booty.
One page at a time, the reader must discover where the item was forgotten.
It sounds easy enough, but remember these pages are not of this world. They are brimming with color, texture, pattern and other visual treats. All these make finding the lost objects a pleasure as well as a challenge.
"Fairy Dreams" (Scholastic, $10.95) is a perfect way to put color and discovery back into a late Kansas winter.
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In but a few weeks, the sun will come out in force and children all across the region will return to their grassy soccer fields. For those who can't wait that long, there is "Goal" written by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Lawrence's own Stephen T. Johnson.
"Goal" (Harcourt, $16) is an eloquent poem about playing the game living it, really. Geared to reach readers ages 6 to 9, "Goal" will stretch the poetic boundaries of the young. Each stanza describes the action and gives a nod to the thought and emotion experienced on the field.
At times the wording is easy on the eyes and brain, other times young readers will have to work hard, just like on the soccer field.
"Needle's-eye chink
"in a wall of wild bodies.
"The far post.
"Launch it, striker!"
A star player on this team is the artist Johnson. His pastel illustrations capture the magic of the play. With a Pele-like quality, they are uniformly superb. He presents what a spectator would witness, defined images in a blur of color-filled motion.
But I'm not sure we can count on Johnson to secure a victory. Just like in a soccer game, "Goal" will score with some and miss with others.
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A sensitive head can be a big barrier to braided and beaded beauty. And so it is with "Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee" by Rita Williams-Garcia and illustrated by Mike Reed.
Williams-Garcia has written this tale with a West Indies touch and lots of volume. It nearly begs to be read aloud. The Wild Waiyuuzee is determined to avoid the grasp of Shemama, who will fix Waiyuuzee's unruly hair into plaits with beads. Waiyuuzee may have speed on her side, but Shemama is big, and darn it if she doesn't always seem to find Waiyuuzee anyway.
Reed's illustrations are a good match to the story. The lush jungle setting gives way to a tranquil and happy home as we learn more and more about the Wild Waiyuuzee, who seems less wild all the while.
"Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee" (Simon & Schuster, $16) is for readers ages 3 to 6, but parents who've ever had a child who runs away at the sound of "bath," "bed" or "brush" also will get caught up in the chase.
Jill Hummels is a Lawrence free-lance writer and the mother of Haley, 9, and Tess, 7.
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