French Ducks in Venice

Gr 2—4—Georges and Cécile live on the canals of Venice, CA, but imagine themselves to be French ducks. Each day, they observe the work of Russian dressmaker Polina Panova, who weaves beautiful dresses made partially of thread, silk, grass, and pieces of the night sky. Her handsome, movie-star boyfriend, Sebastian Sterling, moves out of her house one night, so Georges sets out to find a present to cheer her up. He finally flies all the way to the horizon and is given a long, golden piece of light from where the sky and ocean meet. Polina thanks him for the wonderful gift, but still she is sad. She stays inside her house for more than a week, working on new dresses, as Georges grows more and more concerned. When she emerges, she is still a little sad, but has used the gift of golden light to create beautiful dresses with a magical glow that she knows will be special for many women. McGuire's digitally created illustrations have a painterly look that captures the nuances of light and shadow representing Polina's moods. This book will be enjoyed by those who like stories with a fairy-tale feel. The writing is somewhat stilted—in places it has short, choppy sentences—but as a whole, it is better suited to more competent than beginning readers.—Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN