MAGGIE MAB AND THE BOGEY BEAST

With an excellent feel for the rhythms and flavor of oral telling, Carey recounts a northern English tale about a woman as ""poor as the sound of a tin bell"" but with the gift of seeing the bright side. After finding a pot of gold in her path, she remarks cheerfully on her good fortune when it changes to silver, iron, and then stone; even when it becomes a ""bogey beast"" (he looks like an emaciated horse), she rides it without complaint--thus earning, as reward for her good humor, enough riches for a lifetime. In a strong debut, Westerman emphasizes nocturnal tones of glowing purple and turquoise; she adds a few mischievous wee folk and depicts Maggie as slim and agile (albeit old), while her roses, foxgloves, and daffodils bloom in improbable conjunction. An attractive setting for an entertaining story.