cover image Birdie’s Happy Halloween

Birdie’s Happy Halloween

Sujean Rim. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-40746-5

Wardrobe concerns have often loomed large for Rim’s heroine, so it’s only natural that picking the perfect Halloween costume proves tricky for her. A museum visit gets Birdie thinking about dressing up as someone historic (Rim shows portraits of Neil Armstrong, Joan of Arc, Sandra Day O’Connor, and others on display), and when Birdie asks, “Mommy, can I really be anything I want to be?” the subtext of the question extends well beyond costumes. Birdie’s final decision? Well, it involves her dog dressing up as a Secret Service agent, and it’s not a “First Lady” costume, as one of her friends initially guesses. As in the previous Birdie books, Rim creates graceful mixed-media portraits of stylish kids being kids—playing touch football, jumping in autumn leaves, and thinking, just a little, about what their futures might hold. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (July) [/em]