THERE WAS A BOLD LADY WHO WANTED A STAR

And bold she is in this spin-off of the favorite song. This bold lady wanted a star. “I don’t know why she wanted a star—it seemed too far.” So begins the sequence as the bold lady buys different forms of transport to reach the star in the sky: shoes, skates, bike, car, plane, and finally a big rocket in which she zooms up and catches the star. The big question, of course, is why does she want the star and what will she do with it? The text answer is to “put in a jar” as the illustrations show the bold lady handing the star in the jar to a child in bed. “(So it wasn’t so far!)” The ending lacks luster after the outrageousness of the spin. Bugs and animals populate all the scenes and a clever touch is the assorted creatures that sell the items—e.g., a 14-legged caterpillar sells the shoes, a pink snake the car. The repetitive pattern and cumulative effect follow that of the original and the jaunty illustration style fits the tale. The acrylic paintings on chipboard with collage are reminiscent of Simms Taback in palette, composition, and line. Now if the ending just had more punch. (Picture book. 4-8)