MARY WAS A LITTLE LAMB

Inspired by the real-life plight of a free-roaming flock of sheep in the Pacific Northwest, the Rands (Fighting for the Forest ) allude to a certain nursery rhyme but spin a gentle yarn all their own. When a newborn lamb is abandoned by its mother, a kind woman named Mrs. Paradise steps in as an adoptive parent, tending to the fluffy charge she names Mary. Mary quickly feels at ease (perhaps too much so) with her caretaker and other humans. The little lamb becomes a nuisance in town ("That lamb of yours is marking up the school porch with her sharp little hooves," the maintenance man complains), and Mrs. Paradise is forced to search for a more appropriate home. The perfect solution makes Mary and all the humans who love her happy. Gloria Rand again taps into an affinity for creating quietly suspenseful and emotionally resonant stories that focus on people—and very often, animals—who make a difference in their community. Wrought in a folksier style and palette than usual and almost recalling the work of Patricia Polacco, Ted Rand's accomplished watercolor-and-pencil compositions bring to life the details and denizens of an island hamlet. Cheery faces, rugged, beautiful landscapes and the beguiling black-and-white bundle of wool that is Mary, prove an inviting mix. Ages 4-7. (May)