Aunt Lou loves an auction “better than anything,” so when auction day comes, the entire family ventures forth to see what treasures might lurk among the kerosene lamps, toasters, stuffed groundhogs and plastic flowers. Aunt Lou’s niece, the narrator, spots a gem right away—a straw hat just like her daddy’s: “I tried it on, and it fit me / better than my own hair.” She just hopes her overzealous aunt and her aunt’s longtime bidding rival Miss Logsdon don’t get their hands on it first. This is a fun, folksy introduction to the psychology, rules and singsong rhythms of an auction, complete with down-home feel (the author’s from Kentucky) and happy ending, as the gleeful hat-wearing girl at the end will testify. Auctioneer Bubba Philpott’s rapid-fire chant (“Do I hear three dollah three dollah / three dollah three dollah / who’ll go three?”) appears in swooping bold sans-serif type for added effect, and Smith’s comical watercolor-and-ink illustrations are as lively and friendly as the story. “Whee-oo!” as Aunt Lou would say. (Picture book. 7-9)
