Patchwork Helps a Friend

Greiner, a teacher and author of short stories and essays, has teamed with illustrator/designer Schmidt for a picture book debut that's suggestive of stories like "Stone Soup" and "The Little Red Hen," but entirely modern in its sensibility and style. Writing in somewhat hiccupy rhyme, Greiner introduces Patchwork, "part patches, part bear," who spends the book asking animals if they will help him repair his fellow teddy bear, Fred (Fred is leaking stuffing all over). " %E2%80%98Can you help me help Fred?' Patchwork asked Raccoon./ %E2%80%98Take this rag, it's all yours%E2%80%94but I'm busy this afternoon,' " goes one such encounter. A blue whale, narwhal, starling, and others also contribute items, but are otherwise too busy to assist. Finally%E2%80%94and after eight very similar interactions, Patchwork's mission feels quite drawn out%E2%80%94the bear has everything he needs, at which point he falls asleep (but awakens to a pleasant surprise). Set mostly against plain white backgrounds dotted with furniture, benches, and bicycles, Schmidt's scenes are chilly and cerebral%E2%80%94her animals feel more like pieces of clip art dragged together than the inhabitants of a shared world. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (Sept.)