STORIES BY FIRELIGHT
by Shirley Hughes & illustrated by Shirley Hughes
Another beguiling thematic collection: poems; stories— including a story-within-a-story in which a child convalescing with her mother's artist friend Morag explores a rocky coast, gets on quietly with her own drawing while Morag works, and enjoys Morag's tale of a selkie wife; a wordless ``Midwinter Night's Dream'' in which a young somnambulist sees all kinds of benign fantastical creatures lurking around his home; three fine Christmas entries, notably a British barmaid's harried response to ``A couple requiring a meal and a bed'' (``It's the wrong time of year, as I've already said;/I'd help if I could, with her in that state,/But I'm rushed off my feet and we're so understaffed...''). Best, once again, are Hughes's marvelous illustrations—the glowing lamplight, the gloom brightened by an occasional sunset, the characters observed with matchless wit and affection. As welcome as a cozy blaze on a raw winter day. (Picture book/Young reader. 4-10)