STAR BABY
by Amy Lawson & illustrated by Margot Apple
A gentle, lighthearted fantasy about ``lonely only'' Allie who, wishing on a star on her ninth birthday, gets immediate results: a baby falls from the Milky Way into her father's arms. Like any baby, Sammy captures her parents' attention; however, he also grows extraordinarily fast, can float in the air, and soon learns to talk. After taking Allie aloft on a memorable journey, he elects to return to his own family; a final scene takes place on Allie's tenth birthday, when she has a new, more ordinary baby brother. Though the story doesn't have much depth, it's charmingly told and makes a novel way to examine the pros and cons of having a new baby in the house. A blind grandfather who's avidly interested in astrology is an especially amiable character; Apple's frequent illustrations, seen in unfinished form, look promising. (Fiction. 6-10)