LEO, ZACK, AND EMMIE TOGETHER AGAIN

Good friends, good times, and the special joys of childhood are celebrated in four spritely stories to delight beginning readers. A trio of engaging second-graders experience a snowy day, a Christmas party, chicken pox, and Valentines in warm, funny everyday adventures. In ""A Snowy Day,"" the three share a perfect day having a friendly snowball fight and making a family of giant smiling snow people. In ""Chicken Pox,"" nearly the whole class is sick; Emmie first endures the boredom of an almost empty class, then hears all the special treats the others were given while they were sick, and finally gets chicken pox--only to discover that she is too sick to enjoy ginger ale and Monopoly. The pictures of blotchy, itchy miserable Emmie are enough to make any viewer scratch in sympathy. Carefully crafted stories and exuberant illustrations make this a special pleasure to read and share.