DePaola (the 26 Fairmount Avenue series) has frequently mined his childhood to create memorable tales; here he taps into his 35-year-plus residency in northern New Hampshire. Organized by seasons, these homespun vignettes are flavored with a North Country accent, but they feature dePaola's characteristically folksy pictures. The cast, mostly amiable, includes a few comically ornery locals, among them a soap-shunning fella whose ripe aroma sends a family of skunks scampering. Elsewhere, a "big-boned" gal related to the Bunyans meets her husband while working as a cook in a loggin' camp, where she makes flapjacks for the "lumbahjacks" on a griddle fashioned from an old saw blade; and a friendly man invites two unsuspecting newcomers to "set" with him and his wife on Saturday evenin' after suppah, a pastime that, apparently, entails sitting silently while listening to the tickin' of the clock, the cracklin' of the stove and the sizzlin' of doughnuts frying. This last scenario, where the wide-eyed guests have no idea what they are in for nor how to react to the settin' session, epitomizes the volume's wry humor ("Thanks fer coming," their host tells the visitors the next time he sees them. "Maude and I was sayin' that Saturday was one of the best sets we ever had"). Comics-style panels interspersed between sections lampoon tourists and locals; it's hard to predict which camp will enjoy this sunny book more. All ages. (Oct.)

K-Gr 4 In this celebration of New England, dePaola's familiarly styled illustrations create cozy backdrops for traditional tales, short quips, and modern anecdotes of life in the "North Country." The 10 humorous stories are arranged by season, with breaks via cartoon strips about a tourist interacting with locals as he drives around the glorious landscapes. The author's conversational style charmingly meanders at times and includes regional dialects ("yehah" for "year") that are included in a glossary. The stories graduate in length and sophistication. The tale of "Big Gertie," Paul Bunyan's cousin, is perhaps a bit long, but each story encourages at least a grin at the end. This book's appeal will not be limited to its region of inspiration and will add modern flair to tall-tales collections.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

In affectionate tribute to rural New England, his home for the past 35 years, dePaola offers four short character tales, one per season, with six even shorter tourist anecdotes interspersed: "Have you lived here your whole life?" "Not yet." Told or retold in dialect and illustrated with landscapes of changing colors and (usually) poker-faced country folk, the stories range from a slightly tall lumber-camp romance starring Paul Bunyan's cousin Big Gertie to a plainly autobiographical invitation to a "set"-which turns out to be a get-together with neighbors in which cider and doughnuts are consumed in total silence. Treat young readers and listeners who enjoyed Kevin Hawkes's North Country excursion Wicked Big Toddlah (June 2007) to these further glimpses of a distinctive regional culture. (Picture book. 7-9)