Jezebel's Spooky Spot

The Rosses (Cemetery Quilt), a mother-son team, open their affecting if slightly forced story as Papa leaves for war, advising Jezebel: ""Just remember when you get that googery-boogery creepy-crawly catchy feeling, you look it in the eye. That's what I'll be doing."" After he departs from the African-American family's log cabin, distraught Jezebel runs into the dark woods: ""Oh, it was moky!"" The feeling Papa described comes over the frightened girl, but she recalls his words: she tells the twisted trees and ""snaky weeds"" that she is not afraid and she claims the ""ole spooky spot"" as her own. Return visits to the ""spooky spot"" make her feel close to Papa, ""because he was in danger, too."" Out in the woods Jezebel overcomes various fears (of a large spider, of ""swamp ghosts"" formed by ""fog fingers,"" and ""pixie lights,"" lightning bugs, which Mammy, her grandmother, has told her can ""steal your soul""); the later episodes seem redundant. The imagery, too, is belabored at times and the dialogue runs to phrases like ""Lawse a mercy"" (uttered by Mammy). The flaws, however, are outweighed by the warmth of the characterizations. Though not as compelling as his art for Knots on a Counting Rope or Paul Revere's Ride, Rand's emotion-charged paintings convey Jezebel's spunk and her powerful bond with her father. Ages 6-9. (Jan.)