Island Summer

From Publishers Weekly Stock (Miss Viola and Uncle Ed Lee; the Gus and Grandpa books) sketches an affectionate portrait of summertime on a Greek island. Empty during the winter and early spring, a sleepy town begins to stir as the weather warms and the mainland inhabitants arrive to spruce up the streets and houses for the summer people. Full-spread pencil and watercolor pictures reveal an increasingly bustling village, with brightly clad tourists providing an effective contrast to the subtle hues of the local sceneryAthe soothing blue of the sea, the soft earth tones of the countryside, the cool white of the buildings. Close study of the pictures will reward kids: amid the activity, two youngsters on a rooftop prepare to drop water balloons on the folk below; a boy teases two alarmed girls with what appears to be a crab or crayfish). But the narrative repeatedly bogs down with wordy descriptions. Of springtime, for example, Stock writes, "Then, slowly, the sun grows stronger, squeezing the wild wind into a soft spring breeze. It soothes the angry waves into a flat, shimmering sea and soaks up the muddy puddles like freshly baked pound cake sops up melted chocolate." Though the tour is scenic, the prose is a bit sticky for most tastes. Ages 5-up. (July) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the