most unlikely of friends, The

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 1998 by Hurst, Carol Otis

Cats and dogs and humans in this months picture books, they're all best friends.

For a pair of unlikely friends, meet Library Lil, super librarian, and Bust'em-up Bill, leader of a rough, tough motorcycle gang. But they sure didn't start out as friends. There was quite a ruckus first and you'll read all about it in Suzanne Williams Library Lil, illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Dial, 1997, ISBN 0-80371689-2). This delicious tall tale may cause library patrons to view their librarians with new eyes.

Lil was a reader from the start. We first see her sitting in the tub holding a dripping alphabet book aloft. Later, she is absorbed in a book as she plays goalie on the soccer team, her right foot deftly blocking a shot. Not only was Lil a good reader, she developed strong arms and a strong will. No one was surprised when she became town librarian, but she couldn't get the townsfolk to read. They were too absorbed in TV to care about the good stuff she had going at the library.

Then came a storm that knocked out the electricity for two weeks. Lil pushed her bookmobile (the battery was dead!) all over town, converting viewers to readers. Even after the electricity was turned on, they stuck to their books. That's when Bust'emup Bill and his gang rode into town demanding to watch Tuesday night wrestling. The clash between Lil and Bill was something to see. Bill's conversion is complete and there seems to be a romance building. Kellogg's detailed illustrations are replete with his usual sight gags. Don't miss the references to Kellogg's Skog, Tadpole and Second-Hand Rose. This one belongs on your shelves, but it won't stay there long.

On the road with a cat. Searching for Candlestick Park by Peg Kehret (Cobblehill, 1997, ISBN 0-525-652566) concentrates more on humans than on animals, although a cat has a central role.

Spencer's family is in flux, to say the least. His parents are divorced and his father has left the area. Spencer misses the few hours they spent together watching the Giants' baseball games on television.

Now, Spencer and his mother are moving in with his aunt, and Foxey, his cat, is a problem. His mother says he has to get rid of the cat, but Spencer isn't willing to do so. The solution? Run away with Foxey to San Francisco; actually, to Candlestick Park. Spencer had received a postcard from his father saying that he was at Candlestick Park every day.

To get there, Spencer has to violate many of his own values. He steals money, food and a bicycle. He takes a ride from a stranger. He even goes into another stranger's home. Fortunately, these terrible risks don't cause the tragedies they could bring.

Spencer and Foxey experience lots of hardship before he reluctantly leaves Foxey with Hank, one of the kind strangers who help him, and goes on to San Francisco alone.

Miraculously, but somehow believably, Spencer finds his father at Candlestick Park, but that's the end of the fantasy life he has envisioned. His father will not and, perhaps, cannot have Spencer live with him. So, Spencer returns home, wiser and even monetarily richer than he started.

Kehret has written several books although this is the first of hers I've read. She's skillful and the characters and plot in Searching for Candlestick Park are well done. I'll definitely hunt for the others.

Macbeth for minors. Finally, just in case there's anyone who still believes picture books are of interest only to the preschool set, take a look at Bruce Coville and Gary Kelley's Macbeth (Dial, 1997, ISBN 0-80371899-3).

Colville's text is true to Shakespeare's intent. The language is suitably formal and replete with direct quotes from the original, but the story is more clearly perceived. Kelley's illustrations are as dark and foreboding as the three weird sisters are and suit the mood of the tragic tale flawlessly. This is an ideal vehicle for those who are about to read or see the play.

Raining cats and... Hurrah! Helen Griffith's long out of print Alex and the Cat has been reissued (Greenwillow, 1997, ISBN 0-688-152414), and it even has new illustrations by Sonia Lamut. This very accessible book has such wonderful sly humor that you won't want to offer it only to beginning readers.

Within seven short chapters, we get a glimpse of a gentle, warm friendship between two traditional enemies - cats and dogs - and some insight into the essential differences between them. Alex, the dog, is exuberant, emotional and a bit silly. The cat (we never learn its name) is sedate, selfcontained and wryly humorous.

We'll have to hope that a reissue of the two other "Alex and the Cat" books aren't far behind.

That's quite a step, from the musings of a cat to the musings of the perfidious Macbeth. What a wide range from which to choose your reading pleasure. See you next month!

Carol Otis Hurst, a former librarian, is a master stor.teller, a children's literature consultant and a Teaching Editor of Teny K-8.