Trudy
PreSchool-Grade 2&mdash;Esme's grandfather promises that she can have an animal from the country auction, and she picks Trudy, a small goat that, unlike the other animals, isn't too big, too smelly, or too feathery. It isn't long before her talent for weather forecasting is discovered, and soon the whole town gathers around her barn to find out when snow will next fall. Only this time, Trudy's behavior predicts an event of a different nature&mdash;a baby goat. Cole's acrylic paintings are rounded and soft. They juxtapose muted, earth-toned colors of the environment with the bright, primary colors of man-made objects such as cars, clothing, and the red barn in which Trudy resides. The steady pace of the text combined with its loosely repetitive structure creates a calm, reassuring mood, making the book an excellent bedtime read. This warm story provides a subtle way for children to learn to appreciate animals as well as the cycle of seasons and life.&mdash;Kim T. Ha, Elkridge Branch Library, MDCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.