UP NORTH AT THE CABIN

Happy summer days in Minnesota's north woods are evoked in a generously large book with full-bleed paintings whose lush colors are echoed in the ground of the opposing text to make harmonious double spreads. Johnson (The Frog Prince Continued, 1991) breaks new ground here with glowing colors, beautifully observed light, and artfully spare compositions; you can almost feel the sun's last rays or hear the water's lap. Meanwhile, Chall's simple, nicely honed text (her first) recounts the summer's pleasures— the sunshine that ``sits in my lap all morning'' on the journey north; everyone sitting on the same side of the table ``so we can all watch the loons''; swimming underwater; hearing a moose bellow a warning; water skiing; remembering an Ojibway legend while walking in the dark. Without the compelling drama of McCloskey's Time of Wonder, but—as a vibrant, affectionate tribute to another region—a worthy of standing on the same shelf. (Picture book. 4-9)