Clarence and the Purple Horse Bounce into Town
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Clarence, a pig, and Smoky, the purple horse of the title, have appeared in two previous books. Here, the duo and their dog, Edgar, visit Clarence's sister Fern in the city. The peppy pig is so enthusiastic about returning to his hometown that he fails to notice Smoky's desperate longing to go out West, where he belongs. The horse becomes physically homesick, and is ordered by a doctor to go home to fresh air and "plain grass hay" instead of Fern's culinary concoctions. He heads off alone, but Clarence then packs up and races to join his friend on the bus. In a distracting subplot, Edgar falls in love with Fern. The plot is cluttered with asides about their romance and other extraneous threads that make it hard to focus on Smoky's plight. The illustrations, however, are full of action and vibrant color. Adams has worked motion, pattern, and texture into every page, and includes many whimsical details. Children will be charmed by the art, but they're likely to be turned off by the story.Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.