Grandaddy's Stars

The endearing duo featured in Georgia Music, Grandaddy's Place and Grandaddy and Janetta makes a welcome return in this tale, which brings Grandaddy from his Georgia farm to visit Janetta and her mother in Baltimore. Excited at the news of his arrival, Janetta imagines all the minor catastrophes that might keep him from coming-and then frets that her list of things to show Grandaddy (her cat, room, school, playground) is too boring. All worry is for nought, of course: her insightful (and slightly mischievous) grandfather delights in every tiny detail of her life, including her feather collection. When Janetta's mother explains that they'll do some ""real sightseeing"" later, Grandaddy tactfully-and sincerely-replies that he has already seen ""the best places."" Presenting another heartwarming chapter in the ever-deepening relationship between a kind man and his granddaughter, Griffith's narrative is again neatly paired with Stevenson's gently humorous, altogether winning watercolor-and-black-pen illustrations, which alternately depict the urban setting and the beloved, rustic home Grandaddy invokes frequently in his conversations with Janetta. Ages 5-up. (May)