Kindergarten-Grade 4-Things go topsy-turvy when the citizens of Bean, a small early-20th-century town in Pennsylvania, learn that a man from the moving pictures is coming to visit and is set to pick one of their own to be in a show. The narrator, eight-year-old Cricket, provides a folksy view into how the locals react to the news, show up dressed to the nines on the designated day, and deflate with disappointment when the least likely individual is chosen. Done in pen and ink with watercolor and white gouache, the bright cartoon artwork is filled with frenzy. There are many comical characters to pick out of the scenes when the whole town is assembled, such as the overbearing matriarch and the addled mayor. The narrative, though easy to read, is lengthy. The story ends on a bit of a didactic note when Cricket observes, "-to see what's special in a person, I think you've got to be willing to pay them some mind." True enough, but this message more than likely will pass over the heads of the book's audience.

Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA

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