The Old Woman Who Loved to Read

The Australian outback is the setting for this blithe tale of an elderly woman who goes to the country to get away from it all and instead lands right in the middle of it. Seeking a quiet place to read, she rents a farm and soon finds herself up to her ears in chores ""both inside and out""-planting, shearing sheep, harvesting, preserving, chopping wood and so on. Reading has to wait until winter brings a slower pace, and at last the old woman can sit down in a comfortable chair, open a book-and nap. It's a snippet of a story, but Winch (The Old Man Who Loved to Sing) makes the most of it. His jaunty illustrations feature an intriguing array of animals (including a kookabura, koala bears, duck-billed platypus and kangaroo). Blending lifelike draftsmanship with some whimsical scenarios (e.g., mice read and follow a recipe for pear preserves), his art neatly navigates between this story's wild exaggerations and its core of recognizable feelings. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)