SUN BREAD

Sun, fun and dough are on the rise in this tasty picture book about a baker who helps brighten up her snowbound town. Joy and color have all but disappeared in the midst of a dreary, relentless winter: "The wind it whooshed, the snow it whirled/ …/ Bare trees shook like chilly bones./ Children grumbled in their homes." But the proprietor of Fiesta Bakery believes she has just the recipe to set things right. With her "loving touch," she fashions a sun-shaped loaf of bread that magically rises and shines, filling the townspeople's stomachs and spirits. The animal citizens' celebration stirs the real sun from its sleep, creating a ripple effect that spreads sunshine and happiness throughout the land. Kleven (Abuela) handles what could have been a sappy theme with a light touch. Her buoyant rhyming text brims with shimmering imagery ("It glittered on the blue-green seas,/ Wove golden ribbons through the trees") and has a consistent, fun-to-read-aloud rhythm. A menagerie of anthropomorphic animals cavorts and nibbles on sun bread in cheerful compositions of paint and collage. A good time (and good food) is had by all, and a recipe for sun bread on the book's jacket invites readers to join the fun. Ages 2-6. (May)