Mister King

A king lives alone in a majestic house with a glass dome. He reads in his library books about other kings, but unlike them, he doesn't have ""subjects.'' His aloneness is immense, and he can only dream of people shouting ``hurrah'' for their king. One morning a huge, furry cat arrives and identifies herself as a ``tiger.'' The king welcomes his first subject and does his best to serve the cat. Gradually, he begins to rediscover his world, seeing everything anew through the cat's eyes. When the king passes a mirror, he says ``hurrah'' and salutes. Soon another house is built nearby, then a whole town, and all the people salute him as he passes, calling him ``Mister King,'' for that's what he has written on his mailbox. The author's captivating tale thrusts readers' imaginations onto that distant shore where anything can happen. The relative absence of perspective in the artist's exultant watercolors adds to the quaint nature and mystery of Mister King's palace, adding an extra dimension to what the text already offers. Ages 5-9. (August)