The creators of Santa's Littlest Helper
offer a snippet of a tale about an intrepid little lamb who "had been different right from the start." While all the other lambs "just stood shyly by their mothers," feisty Charlotte snoozes on a high tree branch, climbs to the top of a precipitous peak and roams the countryside at night. When the elderly shepherd falls and breaks his leg, the sheep decide that Jack, the aging sheepdog, isn't up to the job of going for help. Youngsters won't be surprised when Charlotte volunteers for the task, despite the protests of her peers ("The little rascal?"; "Out of the question!"), and succeeds with flying colors. Wilson's deadpan humor comes through in acrylics that brim with diverting images of Charlotte's spontaneous bravura (which takes her to some humorously precarious perches) as well as droll depictions of her fellow sheep's incredulous gazes. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
