THE VERY LONELY FIREFLY

Twenty-five years after The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1968) ate his way through a remarkable book, another Very book, about a firefly in search of company, shows a master of bold, dramatic design in search of a story. A lone firefly "born as the sun sets" follows a family's candle, flashlight, and lantern to a quarreling dog, cat, and owl, whose eyes reflect lights. The family drives to a fireworks display. The firefly follows their headlights and finds a sky full of fireflies, tails blinking. With or without batteries, Carle's creations have plenty of spark; what he needs is a warmer, friendlier story. Except for the endearing firefly and owl, the characters are static and the balloons of text out of place in the artwork. The finished book is to include battery-powered flashing tails; an author's note appears on the book jacket. (Picture book. 3-8)