My Father's Luncheonette

Past the hardware store and the bank, a red-haired girl hops and skips to her father's luncheonette, a popular gathering place in the hub of a busy Bronx neighborhood. Her father works from breakfast through dinner, flipping burgers and ``fizzing up a thousand sodas.'' In addition to meeting her friends, the girl sometimes helps out with the menus or mixes up unusual drink concoctions (that the customers might not appreciate). ``A budding chef,'' her proud dad exclaims. Amid the hustle and bustle, he always finds time to help his daughter with her homework. Though not employing a traditional storyline, Greenberg's ( At the Beach ) exuberant excursion recalls a time when mom-and-pop businesses proliferated and kids were a part of the workday scene. A sense of cheerful expectancy permeates the atmosphere, and the fresh, geometric artwork is rendered in bright colors with crisp contours. Ages 4-7. (May)