WILLA THE WONDERFUL

Willa is a porcine charmer who gets much more than she bargains for. When her teacher asks her to choose a favorite career, Willa knows immediately that she will be a fairy princess when she grows up because "mostly they make good things happen." But despite her best intentions, Willa is miserable. She has to leave her wings at the front of the bus ("The rest of her rode in the back"), her teacher confiscates her wand and, by the end of the day, Willa is the object of giggles and ridicule. Newcomer Milord creates an exuberant and inventive heroine in Willa. Amusing watercolor illustrations show her researching her topic in the book Fairy Princesses from A to Z and putting dirt in a bag to create fairy dust. Milord's fine black outline conveys engaging warmth and also sorrow, as when Willa blithely tosses fairy dust into her best friend Jenny's hair, trying to make them both disappear, or as she dejectedly climbs off the school bus wearing her star-covered fairy princess dress. Willa ends up saving both her reputation and her career with a real-life rescue. "Good job," says Willa's teacher, and Willa answers, "Actually,... being a fairy princess is a wonderful job." Ages 4-8. (Apr.)