Frannie's Fruits

Kimmelman's first book is a tribute to a day in the life of a family and their fruit and vegetable stand (named after Frannie, the family dog). Everyone helps out with the regular customers and the browsers who stop by, from young lovers buying flowers, to weary beachgoers looking for something simple to fix for dinner. A small boy wears a beach bucket like a fez in one scene; a woman stares down sunflowers against a Grant Wood landscape in another; and in still others, the abundant roadside stand glitters like a jeweler's window full of wares. Mathers is at home with the material--she blends beach-bright colors with subdued country tones, her primitive lines evoking a simpler time while celebrating all the days to come. The spaces she blocks out are open and welcoming; together, text and art offer an uncommon view of a common sight. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)