cover image Lily of the Forest

Lily of the Forest

Brian McConnachie. Random House Value Publishing, $2.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-517-56595-7

Lily is bored with her job. The village peopleincluding her parentsbuild dog houses, and she has to paint ""smiles on the doggie faces.'' Then she discovers the woods. Forest animals help her to build a shelter that becomes more monumental by the day as they put all their engineering skills to use. In search of their lovely daughter, Lily's parents seek the help of ``the enchanted princess of the forest,'' the name by which the no longer work-weary Lily is now known. Ziegler's dog house industry is depicted with meticulous attention to the dynamics of the building process. McConnachie is just as crafty, as well as witty, in presenting the predicament of the village of Dun Gannon Gil Gook on the River Voo, a place where one tries to find contentment and creativity in work, and where autumnal reds, sunny yellows, spring greens and azures seem to burst off the page. Ages 3-7. (September)