THE GUMDROP TREE

A little girl gets a bag of gumdrops from her father. They're lovely, in a rainbow of colors and sparkling with sugar. They're so lovely that the girl doesn't want to eat them because then they will all be gone. She decides instead to plant her gumdrops in the ground and grow a whole treeful. She waters them and watches them, but all that comes up is a plain tree with nary a drop. Then, one day, she calls her parents excitedly -- her tree is covered with gumdrops sparkling with sugar. She picks them, plays with them, and finally eats them. And in case you're thinking that this is pure fantasy, the mystery is explained in the final picture: A tree with colored gumdrops tied on with string. Spurr writes with wit and imagination. Gorton's illustrations are deliciously naive and energetic. Simply gorgeous.