HOW THE SKY'S HOUSEKEEPER WORE HER SCARVES

The old lady who lives in a house at the back of the wind has her chores to do. She must polish the sun and dust the moon and straighten the stars and wind the comets and so forth: an intergalactic charwoman. For each of these tasks she dons a scarf of a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Then the rains come and she neglects her duties until the sun calls for her to restore his luster. Wearing all her wraps at once, and emerging into the dark, rain-filled sky, she ties a scarf to each of several landmarks so as not to lose her way home at the end of her work. When the sun comes out to share the heavens with the rain—voila!—the scarves become a rainbow. Hooper (A Bundle of Beasts, 1987) imbues her tale of origins with a sense of timelessness; her gods are fascinating if on the demanding side. Roth brings to the amiable story bright, busy collages; these are original and entertaining when it comes to the cosmic characters, although her deep-space housekeeper, referred to as an ``old woman'' throughout, looks quite youthful. (Picture book. 4-8)