Fourth of July Bear

From Publishers Weekly Lasky's ( Dinosaur Dig ; Sugaring Time ) storytelling flows as quickly and as smoothly as the waters that swirl around this warm tale's setting--a dolphin-shaped island off the Maine coast. Becca, a city girl, is apprehensive about spending the summer by the sea. She is sure that playing with her new neighbor, Amanda, won't be as much fun as rollerskating on the city sidewalks with her best friend, Emily. But when Amanda and Becca dress up in bears' costumes and ride on a fire engine in the town's Fourth of July parade, the two become fast friends. Cogancherry's ( Rebecca's Nap ; The Real Tooth Fairy ) homey, realistic illustrations superbly convey the story's many moods--from Becca's initial shyness to the elation she and Amanda experience when they jump into the icy ocean. Ages 5-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2 --A story about a city child who has an extended stay in a small coastal town. Becca is not happy about her vacation in Maine, for she misses her best friend and is reluctant to become friendly with a girl on the island--until the two are fire-prevention bears in the Fourth of July parade. The shyness on both girls' parts will speak directly to children. Their gradual acceptance of one another, from costume-fitting sessions to an after-parade swim, is not overdrawn: they are not lifelong friends, but summertime companions who learn to enjoy the time they spend together. The pencil and watercolor drawings are realistic enough to evoke a real-life adventure, with enough romanticism to keep the dirt and flies of the season out. A little gem of a book. --Ruth K. MacDonald, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, INCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.