Don't Be Scared Scarecrow

Vainio ( The Snow Goose ) tells a rather toothless tale in describing a scarecrow who scares no one, not even the birds. When his friend Huckleberry the dog starts barking at his flapping coattails one dark and windy night, Scarecrow is convinced that Huck hates him, so he runs away. Given a change of scenery and a new hat, Scarecrow finds that he can scare the living daylights out of anyone, including himself. This transformation is hard to credit, however, as the illustrations consistently show a goofily grinning, altogether harmless-looking Scarecrow. The watercolor art conjures up an often lovely pastoral setting but, given the limp text, the pictures are virtually beside the point. Ages 5-8. (June)