"Take the plunge with Jack and Annie "Jack and Annie continuetheir quest for the secrets of happiness--secrets they need ifthey're going to save Merlin. But when the Magic Tree House leadsthem to a tiny deserted island in the middle of the ocean, they'renot sure who needs help more--Merlin or themselves The brother andsister team are soon rescued by a ship of explorers and scientists.But that isn't the end of their troubles, because the crew isn'tlooking for the secrets of happiness. The crew is looking for . . .a sea monster Mary Pope Osborne takes young readers back to themid-nineteenth century, a time of exploration and adventure. Thispaperback edition contains all-new backmatter full of activities,and the first printing includes temporary tattoos.

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　　PreS-Gr. 2. McMillan makes a successful departure from his manynoted photo-essays, such as Nights of the Pufflings (1995).Sticking to a bird theme, he has created a simple, humorous taleabout chickens with pretensions of becoming women. The villageladies are frustrated because they cannot reach the eggs the wildbirds lay on the sides of cliffs. Little do they suspect that thechickens they buy will hatch a new set of problems. The hens decideto do everything the ladies do--pick blueberries, go to birthdayparties, have tea--until they are too busy to lay eggs. A fineartist and first-time children's book illustrator, Gunnella makesthe transition to picture books quite well: the rotund ladies andirrepressible hens, portrayed in flat, colorful, thickly paintedfolk-art style, aptly complement the tone of the story. DianeFoote
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