Molasses Flood

An incident in old-time Boston jump-starts this sticky legend. Young Charlie Owen Muldoon becomes a wide-eyed spectator on the January day when a sudden rise in temperature causes a local molasses tank to swell and explode. A gooey river flows through town displacing most everything in its path, but (as is wont to happen during a New England winter) a cold snap soon freezes the molasses in its tracks. Charlie Owen Muldoon--and the rest of Boston--has more than enough frozen chunks of molasses stored in the pantry. With a comical tone, Lent stretches a promising premise as far as it will go. However, the somewhat lackluster plot line fails to provide a sense of silliness that the title implies. Lent's muted, mottled artwork prominently features the red-brick colors of the buildings on the Boston waterfront, and broad smears of brown oozing molasses. On several pages, ample white backgrounds allow Lent's diminutive human figures to stand out a bit, as they otherwise tend to blend into their similarly hued surroundings. Despite certain shortcomings, this lighthearted book offers a pleasing blend of nostalgia and imagination. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)