Danilo the Fruit Man

In this delightful tale of Sicily, Danilo is a simple man, content to travel familiar streets and sell oranges to townsfolk he knows. One day, happening on a street he has never noticed before, he finds a magical tree laden with red, pink and blue fruit. ``Could I grow trees of such fruit?'' Danilo asks an old man nearby. His cryptic reply propels the story toward its happy ending: `` Primo, primo --First you must not need them / Secondo --Second, they must be free / Finalmente , you'll only grow them / From a seed you cannot see.'' Danilo takes a cartload of the fruit into town to sell, but he finds they have all turned into rocks. The following spring, Danilo has resumed selling oranges; when magical fruit trees of his own appear Danilo shares the produce freely. Engaging and wise, this story bears rereading. The sunny pictures are awash with color, and, with a cartoonish style reminiscent of the classic Caps for Sale , Valens's pictures dance across the pages with charming abandon. Each picture is framed with border patterns derived from Sicilian horse carts. Included is a glossary of Italian words and their pronunciation. Bravo! Ages 4-8. (May)