MAISIE

A novel in 32 pages. A girl ``born in a little red house in the shadow of a big red barn'' grows up, talks to owls, goes to school, marries, has children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren. The sprawling form is held together by recurring motifs (Daisy's appreciation of animals and their freedom) and by the sense of spiritual calm in the midst of her life's commotion. If the text is serene, the illustrations have a pace all their own, sometimes competing with the words rather than enhancing them. Four and five busy pictures cluster on a page; readers will see the hubbub of Maisie's environment but may miss the simple heart at its core. Despite this, Maisie is a moving, familiar portrait of a splendid woman and four generations of the lives she touched. See also Anne Shelby's Homeplace (below). (Picture book. 5+)