IT’S A FAIR DAY, AMBER BROWN

It’s always a fair day or better with the irrepressible Amber Brown around. In this third addition to the easy reader A Is for Amber series, Danziger (Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown, above, etc.) sends Amber and her best friend Justin off to the Poconos (or Poke-a-Nose, in Amber-speak) with their families on vacation. Amber’s parents have been fighting (in back-story development that foreshadows their divorce in the Amber stories for older readers), and she hopes that will stop and everyone will have a perfect day at the county fair. They all have fun on the rides, but another parental fight erupts, and Amber, feeling lost and rejected, really does get lost when she tries to find Justin’s happier family. Her parents see that their fighting has hurt their child, and the tension is resolved in a satisfying conclusion with some tears, hugs, and a teddy-bear prize from Amber’s dad to her mom. Ross provides her usual cheerful and humorous illustrations in watercolor and ink, with lots of funny faces from the children. Danziger shows her usual deft touch with childhood feelings and family dynamics, adding another original story with genuine humor and emotion to the growing chronicle of Amber’s life. (Easy reader. 5-9)