AMELIA'S FANTASTIC FLIGHT

Amelia, first seen reading a book about planes, builds a one-seater just her size, modeled on her simple red toy. Off she goes on an alliterative journey (""She breezed through Brazil, and she got a kick out of Kenya""), with her progress around the world recorded on inset maps and in representative--if somewhat stereotypical--scenes for each country, arriving home in time for dinner and a bedtime story about rockets. The role-modeling is rather obviously deliberate, but bracing: Amelia is an imaginative, take-charge child. Meanwhile, Bursik makes a strong debut with her crisp, clean illustrations, the gentle modeling of the animals Amelia sees blending nicely with decoratively stylized plants and backdrop landscapes with minimal detail. A map highlighting countries along the route rounds out the story.