A Baker's Portrait

Executed in vibrant colors, characters with singularly expressive faces fill the pages of this book, in which Edwards offers a distinctive portrait of a painter of portraits. Michelin insists on putting exactly what she sees on canvas, which gets her into trouble when she renders a study of the mayor's family--warts and all. Her honesty has caused business to fall off, until finally she is asked to catch the likeness of her aunt and uncle, who own a bakery. Michelin is faced with a dilemma: does she portray her rotund uncle and her toothless aunt as they really are? The resourceful painter's solution provides a piquant ending to the tale. As in her Chicken Man , Edwards's old-world setting and underlying message lend this story the feeling of a modern folktale. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)