cover image Daisy's Taxi

Daisy's Taxi

Ruth Young. Orchard Books (NY), $14.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-531-05921-0

``Sunup to sunset, stormy or calm,'' Daisy ferries her rowboat between the mainland and the island. No task is too small or too large for this untiring ``taxi'' driver. A fishbowl containing two guppies is transported with the same loving care as Mrs. West's potted palm; even a sofa is pulled across, with the help of a barge. Islanders young and old come to realize that this kindly lady and her boat are as reliable as the changing of the tides. ``And evenings after dinner''--well, Daisy engages in a quintessential ``busman's holiday.'' The slow-but-sure pace of island life is lovingly captured in Young's ( A Trip to Mars ) gentle story. Sewall's ( The Pilgrims of Plimoth ) buttery, opaque watercolor paintings provide perfect depictions of the ruddy faces of the island folk and the many faces of the sea and sky that Daisy labors between. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)