IN MY TENT
by Marilyn Singer & illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
A cycle of poetic vignettes centering on the young narrator's tent (``what I like best is the color/suddenly orange/like an oriole landing/in the emerald woods/quietly saying, I'm here''), promised her during a snowfall ``On the day the twins were born.'' Most of the episodes occur during a summer camping trip: Dad's affectionately teasing wake-up call; getting a little lost in the woods; finding out that even baked beans are delicious here; regretfully taking down a spider's web with the tent. In the last scene, the narrator and her friend are building a tent-like igloo on the twins' first birthday. Subtly, in economical, gracefully phrased descriptions, Singer conveys a great deal about this unique, not-quite-perfect family. McCully's impressionistic watercolors nicely reflect the quiet mood and warm interaction. (Poetry/Picture book. 4-8)