Nobody Has Time for Me

Karin doesn't understand why her busy family always has trouble finding time to spend with her. ``Time is an awful thing,'' her mother hurriedly warns. Sad and lonely, Karin ventures to the town's clock tower, where a kindly clock keeper gently explains the elusive concept and suggests that people can make time if they want to badly enough. Karin tests this new theory when she offers to share a story with her parents--if they ``make a little time for her.'' Skutina's tale, translated from the original Czech, speaks well to the modern children of parents with hectic schedules. Many young readers will relate to Karin's distress at being excluded and to her bold sense of adventure. Sacre's quaint and snowy village scenes and round, rosy-cheeked characters evoke a fairy-tale mood that is truly timeless. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)