cover image A Drop of Honey: An Armenian Tale

A Drop of Honey: An Armenian Tale

Djemma Bider. Simon & Schuster, $14.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-671-66265-3

In this Armenian tale, Anayida is tired and out of sorts one steamy, hot afternoon. Tired of waiting for her to finish eating lunch, Anayida's brothers take off for the day without her. Her mother urges her to follow them, but Anayida is too put out and angry with them. In a cranky, lethargic state, Anayida dozes off while staring at some honey that has dripped on the table, which she knows she should wipe up. Anayida then dreams about a trip to the market, and sees how a single drop of honey can set off an uproarious chain of events: a bee zeroes in on it, a cat jumps on the bee, a dog comes to chase the cat. Soon the marketplace is in a state of chaos, with fruit flying and merchants shouting. Her mother's warning, that ``small quarrels can lead to big troubles,'' comes true. The colored pencil drawings depict an exotic landscape, costumes and events: the mother going to the vineyard, the marketplace filled with jars and brightly painted goods, and the fabrics that are scalloped and decorated with folkloric borders. The telling is as smooth and rolling as a summer day. Ages 5-9. (June)