Festus and Mercury: Wishing to Go Fishing
Grade 2-4-- Autumn drips a gray gloom over poor old Festus that even his "full of beans" cat can't break. When Mercury's playful antics fail to lift the foul mood, he resorts to trickery (which he later admits), feigning a hurt foot in order to convince Festus to take him fishing. Sure enough, the trip does the trick and the old man returns appreciating the subtle beauty of fall, ready for anything. Nordqvist's rich watercolor scenes contrast with Mercury's volatility, achieved through pen-and-ink detail. Especially creative is a pretend-fishing scene in which a striped catch materializes from the like-striped rug. Further, a subculture of wee creatures--water-skiing frogs and various unidentifiable critters who watch and mimic--cavort through the scenes, providing added visual interest. There is a great deal of text per illustration, making this a candidate for readers ready to go from picture to chapter books. However, the plot sometimes becomes too involved with Mercury's innumerable antics, causing the jaunt to the lake to be almost anticlimactic. --Claudia Cooper, Ft. Stockton Independent School District, TXCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.