cover image Chester and Uncle Willoughby

Chester and Uncle Willoughby

Pat Edwards, Patricia Edwards. Little Brown and Company, $14.95 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-316-21173-4

This book, with its beautiful watercolor washes, focuses on a philosophical discussion on a front porch between young Chester and his uncle. Composed of a series of dialogues between the two, the book's most interesting moments come when Chester challenges Uncle Willoughby to tell him about nothing. ""Just suppose,'' Uncle Willoughby begins, ``that there wasn't anything a-tall. . . . No dirt. No water . . .'' From here the pair imagines what it would be like if everything came backand that turns into a celebration of all thingscolors, food, people, everything. Though this may be a rather quiet story for action-oriented readers, it's a sensitive one that is sweetly thought-provoking. Ages 6-8. (October)