Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Distinguished Authors and Illustrators of Children's Books to Aid the Homeless

The sentiment ``Home is where the heart is'' has spawned here a labor of love. Thirty noted authors and illustrators offer interpretations of home in a collaboration whose proceeds will go to Share Our Strength, an organization that provides food and shelter to the needy. The eclectic mix of poetry, prose and pictures spans a range of distinct styles and emotions. Arthur Yorinks serves up a raucous refrigerator rap about his favorite household appliance, accompanied by Richard Egielski's renditions of dancing food; a tender watercolor portrait by Jerry Pinkney amplifies Lucille Clifton's poignant poem about the solace a child finds in a housing project elevator; and in a moving essay Laurence Yep remembers his grandmother's cramped Chinatown apartment. Many of these author/illustrator duos have worked together before, resulting in particularly solid and polished combinations. Illustration highlights include James Marshall's zippy painting of a swashbuckling girl and her pirate cat and Vladimir Radunsky's stark, stirring scene of a family gathered around Grandmama's kitchen table. Young readers will delight in the variety and may be prompted to ask about the larger social issues that inspired this project. Ages 4-8. (May)