Cabbages and Kings

An unlikely camaraderie between a young asparagus named Albert and a cabbage named Herman sprouts in this amiable picture book. After some initial sparring (Albert, whose family has been growing in the garden for years, calls newcomer Herman ""Fatso,"" and the cabbage gloats when his lanky detractor gets blasted by the wind), the two settle down to enjoy their budding companionship. First-time author Seabrook writes with an easy grace, deftly charting the modest round of events in the garden--the thrill of danger when a rabbit or dog appears; the daily visits from the farmer's wife and daughter; the excitement over the approaching county fair. Wyeth's artwork glows with earthy hues, from the rich brown of the fertile soil to the vivid red of rhubarb stalks, and he fashions a ""vegetable's-eye"" perspective, with upward-looming vistas set against a variety of backdrops. Quietly brooding skies alternate with scenes of near Van Gogh-like intensity, as in a view of cornstalks dancing under a fiery summer sun. But the apparently realistic style includes puckish touches throughout: the vegetable pals are anthropomorphized (Herman's expressions, for example, lurk slyly in his ruffled leaves); a crow clutches a magnifying glass looking for seed to eat. The fresh setting and quirky characters make this tale of friendship all the more diverting. Ages 4-8. (June) FYI: The illustrator is the grandson of N.C. Wyeth and the son of Andrew Wyeth.