Clever Beatrice and the Best Little Pony
Kindergarten-Grade 4–The self-sufficient star ofClever Beatrice(Atheneum, 2001) returns in another folktale from the French-Canadian tradition. This time, the girl outsmarts a lutin, described as a little bearded man from the old country who acts and looks a bit like a leprechaun. Every morning, Beatrice finds that her beloved pony is dripping with sweat, covered in burrs, and exhausted, and surmises that someone must be riding him at night. She consults the town baker, Monsieur Le Pain, who is also the expert on "things not easily explained." While he ponders how to help her, Beatrice figures out on her own how to handle the lutin. This well-told story about a strong and smart heroine will appeal to kids. The illustrations add beautifully to the narrative. Solomon combines watercolors, acrylics, oils, and collage in palettes of gold, brown, and other earth tones to evoke the north woods setting. Willey includes a helpful note about lutins that will spark even more conversation about the tale.–Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.