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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Wee Sister Strange, written by Holly Grant and illustrated by K.G. Campbell. Schwartz & Wade Books, Random House. 2017. $23.99 ages 3 and up

"She talks to the owls
In hoots and in moans.
When they've finished
their dinner
She buries the bones.
Then she charms a fierce bear
While she rides on its back
Through groves golden-leafed
Under sky inky black."

What a winsome woodland creature Wee Sister Strange is! She is longing for a bedtime story, and bent on making it happen. As she wanders the woods, she is at one with the creatures and comforts of her environment. It takes time and effort to wend her way from her
'crooked old house' along forest paths in moonlight, facing delights and danger, always on the lookout.

"She's searching for something.
She's searching, I'm sure!
She inspects every snail
As a mermaid counts pearls."

Just when she wonders if she might find what she seeks, she spots a warm glow from a cottage window. Creeping silently closer, she hears a voice she has been longing to hear:

"She's found IT at last
In your room golden-glowing!
She's found IT at last:
A WEE BEDTIME STORY!"

Perfect it is, and worthy of repeated sharing.

What a lovely setting K.G. Campbell has created for this slightly spooky tale, using colored pencils and watercolors to full effect. After the cool tones of the nighttime and its moonlit dappled paths, yellow and red add a spot of welcome when she find the cottage and its reader. Only the dog shows some concern with the tiny waif as she settles in to listen, much like the young girl whose mother shares this lovely bedtime story.

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