TSUGELE'S BROOM

Industrious Tsugele shocks her tradition-minded parents by announcing that she won't marry any man who isn't as reliable as her trusty besom. After rejecting two suitors, she strikes out on her own and finds a job in a nearby town. One morning her broom disappears; hunting for it, she meets an extremely thin, hard-working man with kind eyes and a stiff shock of golden hair. It's love at first sight. His name? Broom, of course. Tsugele accepts the miracle uncritically; readers may find the ending rather sudden, but will certainly pick up on Tsugele's happy independence. As usual, the simple gestures and comically exaggerated expressions Zimmer gives his figures closely reflect the story's turns while broadening the humor; woven woodcut borders around each scene, plus the characters' peasant dress, give this original tale a traditional air. (Picture book. 8-10)