The Shadowmaker

""Once upon a time, in a place you've never been,'' a little man rides into town and opens a shop with shadows for sale. Then an orphaned brother and sister named Drizzle and Soot discover the truth: that he's a mean, incompetent wizard whose shadows don't work. This is Hansen's first book for children, and it is distinguished by sly, extraneous details and verbal play (a sneeze, for example, that sounds like ``kitchen''). The pictures depict the quaint, traditional world associated with Tomes's work but Hansen's language is contrarily, and humorously, modern (``Gotcha'' says the wizard and ``Give me the scoop''). By the time a new sign goes up, ``Shadowmender,'' Drizzle and Soot have gone from town outcasts to integral parts of their community. They are welcomed by all, as is this fresh entry by a new talent. Ages 711. (May)