PENNY

No larger than a penny, a small girl adopted by an elderly couple grows up to find a boy her own size to marry; they leave the old folks and go to live in the country of tiny people, returning only for holiday visits. Simply told, the unsurprising story is enlivened by the exchange between ""Uncle"" and Penny when he offers her a choice of suitors of the right size but of the wrong kind--frog, mouse, stone--explaining that all are princes; and Penny, declining them as unacceptable, finds a young man more to her liking. Lewin's pen and watercolor illustrations capture the charm of a friendly world seen from a miniature eye; from swing and tree house in a geranium ""tree"" to suitor Nicolas leaping from leaf to shore, they are lively and delicate, contributing interest to the story. A pleasant diversion for the many young readers who enjoy imagining the point of view of tiny creatures.