Little Pearl

Widmark and Dzuibak (The House of Lost and Found) offer an imaginatively illustrated fantasy with a dreamlike feel. Daniel begs for a bedtime story from his babysitter Grace, who shows him her pearl ring. Her tale about its origin begins with the sudden disappearance of her beloved brother, Tom. Shortly afterward, she is magically transported to a world of enormous insects whose speech rhymes with, but doesn’t quite mirror, the verbiage she’s used to (“I’m a girl,” young Grace greets a beetle, who replies, “Pleased to meet you, Little Pearl”). They’re plagued by a crab, who persecutes them and imprisons human children—including, Grace discovers, her brother. The crab orders his prisoners to steal pearls out of clamshells, and resourceful Grace is quick to plan an escape in which turnabout is fair play. Dziubak’s romantic colored pencil illustrations place doll-like images of children and creatures against dramatic, moody backdrops of flowers and waterside foliage. Grace is a resourceful hero, and her fanciful, The Water-Babies–esque story packs a lot of adventure into the picture book format. Ages 4–7. [em](Apr.) [/em]