The Star of Melvin

This is a backstage scenario of the Bethlehem drama when a particularly bright star appears in the sky above. The star of the show is Melvin, an angel. First he's given a broom for cloud-sweeping, then a dusting cloth for star polishing. A small, remote star is assigned to him for shining, and he does such a good job that he wins the ""star contest.'' God approves and ``places'' the star above the town of Bethlehem. Young readers will probably first hear it here that in heaven there exists such earthly things as brooms, litter and dust. Adults will wonder how the timelessness of heaven can be reduced to past tense. Dunrea's angels are small blobs of color placed in pockets of blue darkness, within a vast sea of elusive clouds. Ages 4-up. (August)