Three Brave Women

Caitlin is mortified. To avoid touching a spider, she had to take off her pants, and her friend Billy Huxley saw her in her duck underpants. ``I know exactly how you feel,'' sympathizes Grammy, and thus follows a series of family stories about when Caitlin's mother and her grandmother faced spiders of their own. Eventually, Caitlin conquers her fears as all three brave women capture ``the biggest, blackest spider in the whole world,'' and she discovers to her surprise that Billy has fears of his own. Martin's ( The Dragon Nanny ) characters are loving and lively, though the narration of the stories tends toward the sentimental, as when ``Mama has a giggle fit with her memories.'' Nonetheless, her tale is engaging, and Elwell's ( Time Out ) cheerful watercolors--occasionally calling to mind Norman Rockwell--nicely complement the family warmth and camaraderie. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)