cover image Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe

Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe

Susan Patron. Orchard Books (NY), $15.95 (87pp) ISBN 978-0-531-05482-6

Caught between Megan, her beautiful and gifted older sister and Rabbit, her stubborn and inquisitive younger sibling, PK longs to preserve the family just as it is. But a new apartment and mysterious changes that seem to be causing shifts in her family relationships threaten the girl's hopes. In the manner of snapshots, the vignettes of PK's patchwork world are captured in brief, disarming chapters. At night PK gives Rabbit a bath, regaling her with the ``billions of stories'' she finds in the clothes hamper. She pours out confidences to her unusual, two-wheeled friend--Bike. She is a collector of cherry pits and ideas. PK's dreamy and determined character is endearing; her small revelations are the very stuff that growing up is made of. Devastated that a beloved blue armchair will be left behind for the new tenants, PK is cheered when she learns that it will receive an elegant new slipcover and ``a brand new start on life''--a metaphor that serves PK's life as well. Rendered in gentle shades of gray, Donahue's illustrations perfectly match Patron's low-key tone. In this quiet, charmingly told narrative album, a girl discovers that moving on does not mean everything gets lost along the way. Ages 8-10. (Apr.)