THE LITTLE PAINTER OF SABANA GRANDE

Fernando's teacher has told him how to make paint with natural materials—charcoal, berries, clay—so that he can continue with his art during the vacation; the one thing lacking is paper. Still, the white side of his own house looks inviting; and after his parents' initial resistance is overcome, Fernando decorates it with festoons of vines, flowers, and animals—a rooster, a monkey—familiar in his village in Panama. Based on an actual happening, Markun's first book is a straightforward, believable account, smoothly incorporating details of Panamanian life. Casilla's paintings serve the text well enough; his characters aren't well individualized, but his large spreads are colorful and attractive, and he does convey the young artist's intensity. Pleasant and unusual. (Picture book. 4-8)