The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit

Plath (1932-1963) produced at least two upbeat manuscripts for children--The Bed Book (Harper & Row, 1976) and this never-before-published tale--but she evidently poured her real passion into pessimism. She musters only bland hopefulness in this story of Max Nix, who covets a ""woolly whiskery brand-new mustard-yellow suit"" that arrives at his home in a mysterious brown box. Max's father and his six older brothers, in descending order, reject the dandelion-gold garment after extended trial periods. Finally Mrs. Nix alters it to fit her youngest son. Max, delighted, finds that ""it doesn't matter"" whether he wears this ideal suit in the snow, the rain or the barn because the wool keeps him warm, dry and clean. (Max's name, in fact, plays on ""es macht nichts,"" or ""it doesn't matter."") Plath could have made do with fewer Nix kids, for her repetition becomes tedious. Nevertheless, the poet offers some clever phrases: the dogs and cats follow Max, ""purring and grrring with admiration"" at his attire. Berner's Euro-flavored cartoons, styled to match the story's Bavarian setting, recall the imagery of Olof and Lena Landstrom's similarly sweet-if-insubstantial ""Will"" books. Painting in rich primary and secondary colors against white negative space, she envisions the Nix boys as ruddy-cheeked Alpine types wearing overalls, milking cows and skiing. Doubtless Plath's name spurred this book's publication, but Berner's lively visual treatment is its strongest suit. All ages. (June)