Two Days in May

Based on an incident that occurred several years ago in Chicago, Taylor's (Ulaq and the Northern Lights) workmanlike story begins when a city girl discovers five deer grazing on lettuce she has planted behind her apartment building. The deer remain calm as a multiracial group of neighbors gathers around them. When an animal control officer is called, he explains that the law requires him to shoot the deer; the crowd decides to stage a ""peaceful protest"" and surrounds the creatures until a wildlife rescue organization can be reached. The first-person narrative often sounds flat: ""We got to know one another better, and we learned more about the deer,"" Sonia says as neighbors swap facts and observations. Torres's (Subway Sparrows) pale, gently focused pictures set a warm mood and convey the gradually strengthening bond among the deer's protectors, but her compositions are often static. Energy is missing from both text and art--the characters' amazement at the presence of the deer never transfers itself to readers. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)