Angelina's Birthday Surprise

Holabird and Craig first introduced the effervescent Angelina in Angelina Ballerina. In their seventh Angelina book, the intrepid mouse and her friend Alice are riding their bikes home from a trip to the store when Angelina hits a big rock and tumbles headfirst over the handlebars. Although Angelina is only slightly hurt, her bike is damaged beyond repair. At Angelina's extravagant birthday party--winningly depicted in Craig's delicately defined watercolors--the little mouse is quite sad because she doesn't get a new bike, but her parents have a surprise in store. Unlike many birthday books, Holabird's plot takes several twists and turns; by keeping the story focused on the loss of the bike, rather than the party, she keeps the reader guessing until almost the last page. Ages 4-7. (Oct.)