WHAT ABOUT EMMA?

An undistinguished account of life on a small Vermont farm. Sue (who narrates, and whose name is not revealed to readers until page 12) is distressed to hear that her parents' plans to stop dairy farming include selling Emma, the family milk cow, who is about to calve. After convincing her parents to sell Emma only after she gives birth, Sue learns to ride the cow; later, when Emma wanders off in a blizzard, Sue is able to ride her home, after which she calves. The book ends with Sue's unexpressed hope that she will be able to persuade her parents not to sell Emma and calf after all. The illustrations work as landscape paintings, solidly evoking the Vermont countryside, but Rush keeps the details of the characters' faces vague most of the time, which places readers at arm's length from the emotional aspect of the story. (Picture book. 4-8)