THE BUTTON BOX: Stories About Mama

Who needs television? Not award-winning storyteller McBride-Smith, who describes the various TV-less entertainments of her Texas childhood, which included listening to the radio with Daddy and hearing her talented seamstress mother tell stories sparked by the buttons she'd saved from various projects. Years later, McBride-Smith takes to heart the most important lesson Mama learned during the Depression: "Never throw anything away." Mama has passed the valuable treasure of the title along to her storyteller daughter along with the inspiration for tales of all sorts and sizes. The mother-daughter theme rings true with love and warmth. Throughout, speaking with the colorful twang for which her home state is known, McBride-Smith serves up a homespun sound that will conjure up visions of front porches and rocking chairs. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)