The Seven Chairs

First-time author Lanteigne and Kovalski (Brenda and Edward) piece together the circuitous destinations of one craftsman's handiwork, and subsequently reveal glimmers of the carpenter's own background. Mirroring the stages of the craftsman's life, the first chair, for example, was actually a stool that wobbled, made when he was a boy; the second chair, created when he was a young man in love, has a heart carved into the back; and, bringing the cycle full circle, the last chair, carved when he was an old man, was also an unsturdy three-legged stool. The irony of the artist's loss of control once his creation leaves his hands is best exemplified by the sixth chair: ""his masterpiece""--made for a wealthy patron who intends to give it to a rajah--winds up in America, a few rungs down the social ladder, as a doorstop at Miss Maybelle Jenkins's Beauty and Tea Parlor. The warm tones of Kovalski's gouache illustrations are humorous and inviting, and the characters' faces are full of emotion and drama. Although Lanteigne's focus on a familiar object may lead children to a reverence for the things they use every day, the author never addresses the most interesting implications of her premise, such as who this craftsman was and how his creations, like those of other artists, took on lives of their own. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)