Motor Bill and the Lovely Caroline

In this sweet but ambiguous tale, romance blossoms between a dumpy donkey and a glamorous goat. Motor Bill, the former, earns his ``Motor'' prefix by pretending to drive a wooden car through town (which, oddly, is populated by indulgent humans rather than other animals). Caroline is kind to Bill, and one day he invites her on a picnic. They ``drive'' to the country in Bill's wagon, share a transcendent lunch during which Bill learns to tie a proper bow, and finally cruise home in an imaginary convertible (``In the dusk, with no one to see, Caroline found herself believing completely''). Wagner, who previously collaborated with Brooks on John Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat, is vague about Bill's and Caroline's ages, and the well-intentioned but unambitious Bill doesn't seem a likely match for the refined Caroline. Whether the two find true love is left unanswered (``When Bill got older... he never forgot how he learned to tie a bow. Neither did Caroline''), and readers may desire greater definition. Brooks's sheer watercolors in ethereal summertime hues lend the story a gentle lyricism; the scenes of Bill and Caroline's picnic glow with dreamy light that's almost worthy of a string quartet. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)