Lisa's dad tells her that her mom, away on a business trip, will be home ``at the crack of dawn.'' Lisa misunderstands the turn of phrase, and she begins to fret that her mother won't be able to get home if morning is cracked and the sun can't come up. (Her big brother Roy slyly encourages her confusion.) She slips outside with a tube of glue just before sun-up, intent on mending the crack, and along with various desert neighbors--owl, lizard, tortoise, roadrunner--she scrutinizes various cracks in the pre-dawn world. A glorious sunrise surprises her, and suddenly Mom is home and everything is wonderful. Silverman's (Big Pumpkin, 1992, etc.) is the sort of pretty, lyrical book that appeals to adults so much that they want kids to like it. The desert landscape is magical in Speidel's soft pastel illustrations. But will children be amused by Lisa's verbal misconception? Will they understand it? The book's lovely, but it misses the point. (Fiction/Picture book. 3-7)
