A YEAR FOR KIKO

Wolff (A Weed Is a Seed, 1996, etc.) takes readers through the calendar with a month-by-month list of a small girl's solitary outdoor activities during the year. Each of 12 spreads celebrates a month as experienced by Kiko, a girl of about five. The short pieces of text are simple and childlike, and most provide a fresh slant on ordinary topics and observations: ""Kiko's window is frosted white. Kiko draws a smile with her finger. The smile melts the ice."" These unexpectedly poetic notions make the book special--and more than a vehicle for showing the seasons. The illustrator is most successful in her portrayals of fields and forests, with layers of brush work and visible strokes that are sometimes almost pointillistic. It lends a lush quality to the landscapes, and although Kiko is less gracefully depicted, her postures and gestures keep pace with the quiet exuberance of the text.