CARMINE THE CROW

Holder revisits the enchanting world of Crows (1987) with a tale about an old crow who rescues a swan from a snare and is rewarded with a box of stardust that grants wishes. The crow hopes to be rich and handsome and have a wife; but before he gets home to put the stardust under his pillow, he generously gives it all away to other animals who tell him their needs. Having seen that their wishes have come happily true, he discovers a last grain of magic and wishes for youth—``And in the morning...Carmine's wish came true.'' Perhaps only adults will grasp the implication of death in this well-paced story; but it's the exquisitely detailed illustrations that bring it to life— with many of the appealing, meticulously portrayed animals sumptuously clothed, Carmine's collection of shiny objects entrancingly displayed in his wood-paneled treehouse, and idyllic landscapes in the gentle mauves, lavenders, and grays of sunset or twilight. An endearing old bird; a lovely book. (Picture book. 5-10)