Lehman's (Moonfall
) ink-and-wash panels show snow falling on a drab city. The square angles of the buildings counter the rounded doll-like features of a girl walking along the street; the delicate blues and reds of her clothes temper the grays of the city. The girl spies a red book sticking out of a snowbank. Once at school, she peeps into her treasure. The book's pictures show successively closer views of a tropical paradise. Green islands on a map loom, a single beach comes into focus, and a small black point grows to become a boy. As she watches, the boy finds a red book just like hers. But when he opens his, he sees a panorama of a city, a closer view of some windows and, at last, the girl in her classroom. Now the boy and girl can see each other; they stare in surprise, then smile. After school, the girl buys a bunch of balloons and sets sail for the boy's island. She drops the red book as she ascends; but it turns out she doesn't need the book to reach him. Next, a stranger on a bicycle picks up the girl's book and pedals away, glancing back with suspicion. It's the only moment that disturbs the book's otherwise perfect equilibrium, in which summer mirrors winter, two children join hands across a great distance, and the tropics provide a refuge from civilization. As visually uncluttered as it is conceptually rich, Lehman's red book is a little treasure of its own. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
