GRANDPA'S FACE

Grandpa's face told everything about him. . .even when he was mad with Tamika, his face was a good face, and the look of his mouth and eyes told her that he loved her."" But Grandpa is an actor, and one day Tamika sees him privately practicing a face with ""a tight mouth and cold, cold eyes. . .that could never love her or anyone."" Dismayed, she acts out her fear at the dinner table, slopping food about and distressing her parents; it's Grandpa who realizes that her uncharacteristic behavior comes from some hidden trouble, who draws her out and then helps her to understand that the fearsome face was just pretend and could never be aimed at her. Poet Greenfield tells this warm family story with tenderness and grace; and Cooper makes an outstanding debut. The realistic, full-color double spreads are rich in earth tones and vibrant colors; the faces--especially the crucial expressions on Grandpa's mobile visage--are well characterized and convey emotion with subtlety and precision (also, Tamika's body-language after her trauma is especially poignant). The well-composed backgrounds develop a strong sense of place--a city street of well-kept brownstones, a lovely park touched by the setting sun. A treasure to set beside Scott's Sam.