The Backwards Watch

The author of Walter's Magic Wand has produced a somewhat insipid tale of a newfound friendship between a girl and her grandfather. Sally's seemingly stuffy grandfather chides her for getting dirty when she plays: he would never have done such a thing as a boy, he avers. But when Sally accidentally winds his pocket watch the wrong way, time suddenly runs backward, and the old man is transformed to his boyhood self. Together with Sally--whisked conveniently unreconstructed to this bygone era--the young Granddad has a delightful, and very dirty, time playing in a junkyard. When he and Sally are transported back to the present, the girl has gained an increased appreciation for her grandfather. Houghton's insubstantial text relies too heavily on the hackneyed plot device of time travel. The backwards-moving watch, which is miraculously restored to good working order when Sally and Granddad are hurtled into the present, is little more than an obtrusive contrivance. Abel's workmanlike watercolors unfortunately add little zip to this bland outing. Ages 4-7. (Aug.)