cover image Where Does the Sky End, Grandpa?

Where Does the Sky End, Grandpa?

Martha Alexander, M. Alexander. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P, $12.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-15-295603-5

In evening's easy, suspended time a youngster and grandfather serenely explore basic themes both large and small. The ingenuous questions are real: ``Where does the sky end?''; ``Where is forever?'' And Grandpa answers by giving the child profound experiences with few words. Hand in hand they climb to a treetop and wonder if a bird could ``fly to forever.'' Themes of never-ending matters and cyclical occurrences fill the practically plotless story: windblown seeds take root to grow new plants; small streams gather to the sea; sunrise and sunset. Alexander's muted watercolor, pastel and pencil illustrations reflect the otherworldly quality of evening light and gravitate easily from reality to fantasy when the child wishes on the first star. Ages 4-8. (Apr . )