THE FLOWER OF SHEBA

The great queen visits King Solomon to ``prove him with hard questions,'' as the Bible says. Here, the questions are riddles, plus a challenge from traditional lore: to pick the one real flower from a mass of artificial ones, which Solomon achieves with the help of a bee, demonstrating that ``to the wise, even small creatures can be great teachers.'' Kelly's art isn't distinguished, but she captures the opulence of the court and the monarchs' retinues and the beauty of the black queen in glowing colors. The text is more accomplished, with a dignity and economy honoring the biblical original while telling a story that will make a diverting change of pace for beginning readers. One lack: a historical source note to enrich the experience for children and adults ``reading together,'' as intended for this Bank Street Ready-to-Read book. (Easy reader. 5-8)