My Wicked Stepmother

Sadly, Leach did not live to see finished copies of his moving first book. Browne's ( Sing Me a Story ; The Little One ) finely detailed, realistic pictures convincingly communicate the range--and depth--of emotions experienced by Tom, the story's young narrator. He insists that his new stepmother, who has come to live with him and his dad, is a witch. Yet, although she is pictured wearing a long black dress and boots, stroking a black cat and stirring a cauldron-like pot on the stove, the woman's behavior is anything but witchy. In fact, she alone knows exactly what to say when Tom's friends belittle his new Robin Hood and Superman outfits, cheat at games during his birthday party and even blow out the candles on his cake before he can. Still the boy holds back, acknowledging that he has misjudged her character only after she breaks into tears when he refuses to kiss her goodnight. Whether or not youngsters have had to adjust to the presence of a new stepparent, they will feel the emotional impact of Leach's deceptively simple story. Its message and visual images linger long after the last page is read. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)