New Shoes for Silvia

A Latin American locale brings the only dash of picante to this rather bland slice of life. From ``another America,'' Tia Rosita sends Silvia a pair of shiny red shoes, which are too big. Day after day, Silvia anxiously tries them on to see if she has grown into them. She hasn't, but she enjoys the shoes anyway, pretending they are doll beds or a two-car train. Eventually, distracted by chores and friends, Silvia forgets about the shoes for weeks at a stretch, until, finally, she tries them on again and they fit. In contrast to this pedestrian story, the watercolor illustrations rise well above the ordinary. Pinkney, paying careful attention to the foreign milieu, achieves an upbeat, child-pleasing realism. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)