The Birthday Party (Children's Books, for Young and Old)

After the birthday party on Mrs. Atkins' lawn, a little girl in a purple kuspuk recounts her adventures there to her mother, who sinks slowly down into her chair as the delights unfold in rhyme. Truly everything was fine (depending on your point of view) until that elephant arrived. This illustrated romp through the perils of peppermint pie, leaky garden hoses, compost heaps and large numbers of young birthday guests stimulates the imagination and tweaks the funnybone. Chandonnet, poet and author of historical fiction and cookbooks, has teamed up with watercolorist Fiedler to get right into the exuberant spirit of a rollicking good time. Preschool and up.