Grandmothers Chair

On a visit to her grandmother's house, four-year-old Katie learns that her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have something in common: all have owned the same small black-and-gold chair. A peek at the family photo album reveals other similarities too--the girls all liked to sing with their mothers, listen to their fathers' stories and gaze at the stars. Today the chair is Katie's, and someday, Katie's grandmother assures her, the chair will belong to Katie's own child. This low-key story transmits a gentle message about continuity and the ties of love that bind generations of families. The illustrations are adequate, though Aubrey's meticulous realism is curiously flat. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)