A Happy Tale

Mabel's journey to her new home with her friend Charles runs on anything but an even keel. Unhappily, she cannot afford train fare; happily, her pilot friend Maud offers her a ride. Unhappily, Maud is not a very good pilot, and she tips Mabel out of the plane; happily, there is a haystack below. . . . There is up after down after up, but it all ends--how else?-- happily . This simple tale contains much lighthearted fun in the absurdity of fortunes that reverse themselves by the minute, and its rhythmic, deliberately repetitive style will soon have children chiming in. The illustrations are marked by a loose line that jauntily captures the story's offbeat characters and relentless pace, making this a most amiable and entertaining excursion all around. Ages 3-8. (Nov.)