The Thanksgiving Visitor

With Peck's wistful, muted paintings, Capote's brilliantly polished reminiscence makes a moving holiday read-aloud for older children. Buddy, the narrator, tells of the Thanksgiving that his eccentric spinster cousin invited Odd Henderson, the school bully, for dinner--knowing full well how Odd had tormented Buddy. Without a drop of schmaltz, Capote explores issues of graciousness, compassion and forgiveness. Replacing the watercolor and ink medium she used for her illustrations of Capote's A Christmas Memory (1989) with more substantial oils, Peck retains the previous work's fluidity and emotional appeal. A natural holiday centerpiece. All ages. (Sept.)