Blueberry Girl

<p><P>This is a prayer for a blueberry girl . . . <P>A much-loved baby grows into a young woman&#58; brave, adventurous, and lucky. Exploring, traveling, bathed in sunshine, surrounded by the wonders of the world. What every new parent or parent-to-be dreams of for her child, what every girl dreams of for herself. <P>Let me go places that we've never been, trust and delight in her youth. <P>Nationally bestselling author Neil Gaiman wrote <i>Blueberry Girl</i> for a friend who was about to become the mother of a little girl. Here, he and beloved illustrator Charles Vess turn this deeply personal wish for a new daughter into a book that celebrates the glory of growing up&#58; a perfect gift for girls embarking on all the journeys of life, for their parents, and for everyone who loves them. <P>Give her all these and a little bit more, gifts for a blueberry girl.</p><h3>Publishers Weekly</h3><p><P>In a magical blessing for unconventional girls, Gaiman (<I>The Graveyard Book</I>) addresses the "ladies of light and ladies of darkness and ladies of never-you-mind," asking them to shelter and guide an infant girl as she grows. "Help her to help herself,/ help her to stand,/ help her to lose and to find./ Teach her we're only as big as our dreams./ Show her that fortune is blind." Sinuous, rococo lines-the flowing hair, drooping boughs, winding paths that inspired the pre-Raphaelites-spread their tendrils throughout Vess's (<I>The Ladies of Grace Adieu</I>) full-bleed spreads, potent mixtures of the charms of Arthur Rackham, Maxfield Parrish and Cecily Barker's flower fairies. An Art Nouveau-ish font in a blueberry color compounds the sense of fantasy. On each page a different girl-short, tall, white, brown, younger, older-runs or jumps or swims, accompanied by animals meant to guard and protect her. Fans of Gaiman and Vess will pounce on this creation; so too will readers who seek for their daughters affirmation that sidesteps traditional spiritual conventions. All ages. <I>(Mar.)</I></P>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</p>