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Show u a MESSENGER, MESSENGER Burleighs language is colloquial and friendly; Barry Roofs illustrations captures the city the posture of escalator Robert Burleigh Illustrated by Barry Root riders, the way that people on elevators avoid each others gae. There are inside jokes: One dedicatees name appears on a building's wall; an elegant office building belongs to a firm of agricultural consultants; and cubistlooking statues mimic the postures of busy urbanites. Calvin delivers to the office of a magazine called (a la Orwell) New speak. The strangest joke is surprising: while Calvin leans against a street sign to use his cell phone in a millennial tableau vivant, the Batmobile roars down the street behind him. And Roofs portrayal of Calvin himself is perfect red sneakers. biker pants, helmet and backpack. Walkman, flip-u- p sunshades on his glasses. While Burleighs and Roofs v ision of Gotham City is bright and colorful, it also includes glimpses of the darker side of urban life. Curled raorw ire guards the top of a wall. When Calvin has to pick up a package in a neighborhood of streets and smashed windshields, he thinks, No place to be. this street, not at all. But messenger mans gotta answer each call." Calvin's commitment to his work and pride in a job well done mirror the approach of the author and illustrator. Messenger, Messenger is a fine accomplishment, and Robert Burleigh and Banry Root should be By $16 0689821034 Atheneum, ISBN SIMS REVIEW BY MICHAEL The Min comes up over New York City, silhouetting the ambitious bridges, casting a golden glow on the familiar yet fabled towers of And this is just Barry Root's illustration for the title page of Messenger, Messenger, a beautiful and sa v y new picture book by Robert Burleigh. It sets the scene like the opening shot behind the credits in a film. Turn the page and fade in on the modest apartment of a man called (or at least a man who calls himself) Calvin Curbhopper. A young black man with a Beat Revival mustache and beard, Calvin is yawning and stretching, awaking on his futon on the fkxir. Nearby are a portable phone, a mug with dangling a snack from last night, and piles of books. Stereo speakers face the futon, and a museum poster is on the wall.,This is the contemporary world. Manhattan subspecies. Only the books are unusual: stacks of them cover the stove and fill the sink. Calvin is a messenger, member of a profession that survives despite fax and email and FedEx. This splendid picture txxik follows a day in his life in the city. Baghdad-on-thc-Hudso- g n. tea-ta- - trash-littere- d proud. tSiCftHiOiOllJMDaAlZJEf Broaching a senous topic. Henkes explains Wemherlys fears in a way children can relate to: he finds the sensitive spots that traumatize most children and relates them w ith a touch of humor deftly By Kevin Henkes m his text and illustrations. And its his CrNowOlow Press, $15.95 humor and eye for detail that make this ISBN 0688170277 sernxis story fun. including a rollcrbludmg REVIEW BY STEPHANIE S WILLEY Grandma wlx espouses, "Worry, worry, Just in time for the schtxil season. worry. Too much worry." Kevin Henkes introduces a sweet nxxise-chilFinally, the big day arrives A caring teacher mtrixluces Wemberly about to face the first grade in to another young mouse, Wemberly Worried. The VVfor tied who also h.ippcns to be master of memorable mice ''M.'mbffly characters, Henkes also wearing stripes and holding a doll Wemherlys w tunes gave us the much loved aren't cured instantly, but six Lilly's Pm pic PluMic Purse, and her new friend cant wail a childrens classic that won tor tlx seccxid day ol sclxxil an ABBY Award. With Ins colorful illustraThe opposite of the enertions, Henkes creates a getic. outgoing Lilly. n sweet, is fragile little girl in Wemberly Henkes s fcy M VIN M1NM S Wemberly Ills artwixk isnt of a delicate and sensilook at. it tive young mouse who worjust pleasing to text. Henkes the as much as ries about everything. Nothing is loo big conveys just or too small to escape Wemherly's worry. communicates a wealth of emotion with facial expressions in tlx slurp draw mgs. Day and night she worries In bed, on llte worYou can sec tlx hesitation in Wemherlys the or car. Wemlvily in playground, fiaiix. ries. eyes and tlx distress in lxr liny first a c reale But by far her biggest worry is I gr.xk util is version the) starting school. With the momentous first day ol , m hi Shp Hi ii nun; iuiJ hi't l.iim;. stick with Wemberly to lx Ip yxir looming, a multitude of new worries fills about stallwhat list tlie of Wemberly. And this time youngsters address ilxu fe.us if s" is a mile school. ing long WEMBERLY WORRIED d crc-niio- ta - immfai asi nrw. a ia RsEsAaDalaNaG tSallBMKMaEaR mascrai READING RAINBOW READERS SERIES SutUr Ago Boots, $3.99 Met 6- -9 Summer reading programs are getting younger and younger, in terms of grade level, fts not uncommon for children as young as first or second grade to read an assigned number of books during the summer months; whether it is required or not, this is a good idea for new readers especially. K helps retain reading skills learned during the previous school year and encourages independent Bookss reading. Seastar Books, North-Sout- h newest imprint, has Joined forces with the phenomenally successful Reading Rainbow television series and created a series of books specifically designed for this type of progression. The first two in the series were introduced last month: School Stories Your Dog Didnt Bat (ISBN 158717037X) and Scary Stories to Read When Its Dark (ISBN 1587170353). School Stories includes excerpts from books by such greats as Jean Van Leeuwen and Peggy Parish. Each story deals with some aspect of school, and might be helpful even for little ones who are attending school for the first time. Scary Stories are more funny than scary, particularly since they include such endearing friends like Frog and Toad. This month, two books are added to the series: Silly Stories to Tickle Your Funny Bone (ISBN 1587170337) and Pet Stories You Dont Have to Walk (ISBN 1587170310). Silly Stories includes hilarious stories by Dav Pilkey of Captain Underpants fame and the late James Marshall. Pet Stories includes pets from the usual cats and dogs to the unusual, such as Dannys dinosaur. The stories are carefuRy excerpted to whet young readers appetites for the ful text versions and ultimately, more advanced works. Children who are already familiar with the characters featured in the stories will be thrilled to read about them all by themselves. STARGIRL By Jerry SpineUi Aifrwt A. Knot 4, $15.95 ISBN 0679886370 understand Very rarely in life do we blessings when they arrive. Blessings are misunderstood or scary until we have had time to process them. This is the main theme In Jerry Spinel li's latest offering, Stargiri When Stargirl Caraway enters Leo Boriocks fife, her impact is both disturbing and permanent Stargirl is a ukulele-strummin- plain-face- d, costume-donnin- g g, char- acter that enters a cookie-cuttstudent body at an Arizona high school Her antics range from annoying to amusing, and the prevailing attitude is clearly defined by her peers as her fame rises and falls, time and again. Middle school students will enjoy comparing and contrasting the characters, but high school students can delve much deeper into theme and application. This is not just another underdog makes good' story; in fact, a probing question is whether Stargiris if ever there was actions are positive at all. She is an one: She's not cool, she shuns the attentions and opinions of others, and offers her heart in completely constructive ways. Very few bother to discover what motivates this strange creature, and Stargiris effect lingers long after she vanishes. Stargiri is a the type of book that is er anti-teenag- ripe for multi-lev- el discussion. Miriam Drennan ZXTrTafT!.T1 |