The Wing Shop

When his family moves, Matthew does not like their new neighborhood. Desperate for a way to get back to his old house, Matthew stumbles into the wing shop, where Lucy Featherman lends him three different pairs of wings. In one high-flying adventure after another, Matthew learns that home has more to do with the people who love you than anything else. Woodruff's gentle wit and sense of broad fantasy raise The Wing Shop head and shoulders above the norm for problem-solving books. Best of all, Gammell's shimmering watercolors, especially his panoramic paintings of Matthew in flight, are positively breathtaking. The slightly nerdy, bespectacled Matthew and carrot-topped Lucy--one shoe purple, the other green--are exuberant creations. Gammell's work here is even stronger, looser and more appealing than in his Caldecott-winning Song and Dance Man . Ages 4-8. (Apr.)