INDIGO AND MOONLIGHT GOLD

In the first book she has authored, a Coretta Scott King winner for illustration (Nathaniel Talking, 1990) portrays a young girl, Autrie, out on her porch looking at the night sky and thinking about change—how she and her mother will age, how she'll confront the future. Finally, going in, she imagines becoming one of the mamas ``who sit and watch their children dream on nights of indigo...'' There's no real story here, but there is a strong, inspirational mood of quiet confidence and hope. And although Gilchrist's is sometimes prosaic, her freely rendered paintings—varied by using multiple images of the two characters with different points of view—are expansive and lyrical. A life-size jacket portrait of the pensive Autrie is particularly appealing. (Picture book. 6-10)