MARSUPIAL SUE

Marsupial Sue must learn that lesson that so many picture-book heroes and heroines have learned before: just be yourself and follow your own “marsupial star,” whatever that felicitous phrase might mean. “If you’re a kangaroo through and through, just do what kangaroos do.” This obvious and previously explored idea is one that beginning children’s authors are warned against, but actor Lithgow (who made a remarkable debut with The Remarkable Farkle McBride, 2000) and Davis (illustrator of the Zack Files series) manage to make both the concept and their delightful heroine fresh and worthwhile. Davis’s super-sized Sue is a delight, dressed in a sundress, straw hat, and sturdy sandals accessorized with a diamond ring, pearls, and heart-shaped sunglasses. She unsuccessfully tries climbing up a tree with a crowd of koalas and lounging at the shore eating seafood with a platypus, but both excursions leave her with a long list of ailments from migraine to typhoid. When she meets a wallaby and his cousins, she realizes from their behavior (very similar to that of related kangaroos) that her life isn’t so bad after all. The story is actually a song that Lithgow performs in his children’s concerts, and a CD of Lithgow singing Sue’s story is included, along with the musical score. The oversized format, double-page spreads, and professional, witty CD make this a natural for reading aloud (and singing along) with a group. (Picture book. 3-8)