Pearl's First Prize Plant

Delighted with the modest flower she has grown from seed, a bespectacled girl is sure it will win first place at the county fair, but backs off when she sees the intimidating entries; she brings her plant back home, where it remains number one to her. Delaney's (Monster Tracks) detailed illustrations depict the girl nursing her plant (in one spread, she plays music to it) in a bucolic landscape complete with a farmhouse, red barn and thick woods in deep, bright colors: the girl shares the foreground with robins, dandelions and farm animals rendered in a mildly cartoony style. The similarly idyllic country fair features rows of pies on a gingham tablecloth, festive tents and grass underfoot. Accompanying her in every scene is her sidekick pig and a cat doll in a dress. Delaney produces cuteness through such visual elements as the frolicking pig's silly hats and the girl's pigeon-toed stances and pigtails, and her slight story finds an anchor in her sure pacing. Ages 4-8. (May)