The Sign Painter's Dream

The illustrator of The Giraffe That Walked to Paris here offers an amusing picture book with a sportive spin on matters historical. An elderly sign painter nicknamed Crabby Clarence is constantly busy even though he takes little joy in his craft. When an old woman requests a ``glorious and magnificent'' sign advertising her surplus of apples, Clarence wants three hundred dollars, but this customer has other ideas: ``A hero is he who helps for free,'' she tells him. Then Clarence experiences a startling dream in which his hero, George Washington, declares similarly, ``Ye olde hero is he who helps people for free / Ye olde scoundrel, you see, doth charge them a fee.'' This dramatic visitation gives Clarence a new outlook--and picks up the tale's pace considerably. Roth imbues these zestful and believable characters with an infectious spirit all their own. Clarence's fondness for history just might be picked up by youngsters--one delightful scene shows the protagonist, complete with cat, taking the place of Washington in the famous ``crossing the Potomac'' painting. And the piece de resistance --the sign that Clarence does finally make for the old woman--is indeed magnificent in all its two-spread glory. A gentle charmer. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)