KENJI AND THE MAGIC GEESE

Set in rural Japan, an original story resembling a folktale. Kenji's family's only treasure is an ancient painting of five geese in flight. Fastening it to his largest kite, he lets the painted geese fly with the wild ones. Magically, each flight alters the picture—a goose disappears, returning during the next flight; mysterious spots appear and ``hatch'' into goslings that ``grow'' and later disappear. Poverty nearly forces the family to sell their marvel; instead, they find they can exhibit it for a token fee. Like their paintings for Reddix's Dragon Kite of the Autumn Moon (p. 674), the Tsengs' watercolors—here, in a tawny autumnal palette—are full of interesting details of traditional dress, architecture, and domestic implements. A satisfying story that reads well aloud. (Picture book. 5-8)