cover image Fiona Raps It Up

Fiona Raps It Up

Frank Remkiewicz. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, $15 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-688-13145-6

Remkiewicz (The Bone Stranger; The Last Time I Saw Harris) broadly defines ``rap'' in this workmanlike tale about a pink flamingo. Fiona, who's about to lay an egg, takes off for the nesting grounds with her flock. But after Fiona boasts that she can fly with her eyes shut, she loses her way and crash-lands on Rappin' Cap'n Otter's banana boat, where the egg pops out. The captain, who speaks mostly in basic rhyme, draws a face on the egg (``You'll meet hungry critters and this egg looks delicious./ I've made it look scary so they'll think that it's vicious''), then sends Fiona on her way. The flamingo encourages herself with simple verse as she walks by alligators and other predators (``I'll tiptoe past/ while Jaguar's snoozin'/ or it's more than feathers/ I'll be losin'!''). Despite the potential dangers, Fiona and her egg make it to the nest without a hitch, and another rhyming bird is born. Remkiewicz's cartoons are neatly drawn but, like the narrative, they lack sparkle. Ages 4-up. (Mar.)