THE FANTASTIC STAY-HOME-FROM-SCHOOL DAY
By
Events ""gang a-gley"" when Leona and next-door neighbor Eddie plot to stay home from school. Leona convinces her mother that's she's ill, then sneaks through an accommodating tree to Eddie's room with a backpack of goodies--only to discover that he's not home. Trapped in his closet when his mother enters, Leona escapes via the tree, where she leaves her backpack to avoid discovery by the sitter. By this time she really is ill; moreover, her mother, coming home early, finds the backpack. Meanwhile, in school, Eddie fares no better. A klutzy dreamer cursed with bad judgment, he has forgotten to collect leaves for his homework assignment. When he attempts to remedy this oversight with the help of classmate Otis (who always gets him into trouble) he gets caught and is faced with raking leaves as atonement. Still, friendship prevails: in the end, he and Leona are planning a science-fair exhibit, friendship intact and spirits high. Transitional readers will enjoy the good fun enhanced by Hayashi's comical b&w drawings in this fast-paced, entertaining story.