There is a village on a hill by a wind-swept ocean side. The Polka-Dot Apron Café is the heart of that village, and Adele e café owner, with a single rose tucked into her hair the heart of the café. She brings joy and sunshine wherever she goes . . . except when it rains. When it rains, Adele is miserable. Then one day, someone leaves a pair of pink rain boots at the café. They are exactly her size, and no one claims them. The next week, a pink coat. By the time someone leaves a pink umbrella, she has figured out her secret admirer, and not even the rain can stop her smile. Callot's charming friendship tale is told through the classic structure of a sweeping Hollywood romance. Meanwhile, Godbout's delicate, pink-filled colored-pencil illustrations have the classic charm of a Disney film (unsurprisingly, Godbout studied traditional animation in Montreal). Each illustration is simple, elegant, and swelling with the emotion of the text. Overall, this book is as sweet and pretty as the flowers in its pages.

Understated text and gauzy pencil-and-pastel artwork transport readers to a seaside village where social life revolves around the Polka-Dot Apron, a café run by a young woman named Adele. -It-s where everyone meets,- writes French author Callot. -Where they cry, laugh, yell, argue and love.- Adele herself -is

PreS-Gr 2 Translated from the French, this Canadian import stars Adele, owner of the Polka-Dot Apron café. Her establishment is the center of this seaside town's life, hosting a market, cinema night, and parties each week. The jaunty brunette is loved by all: she is "the village's sunlively, sweet and sparkling." A grocer from a neighboring community is particularly fond of her. Lucas runs the market, bringing food and flowers and a bouquet or two just for Adele. Listeners may figure out before Adele that it is he who starts leaving presents. Knowing that she abhors rain (sometimes she doesn't even emerge from the covers when it is dreary), he first deposits pink boots with images of the sun etched in the soles. These are followed by a matching raincoat and then a polka-dot umbrella. Godbout's pastel and colored pencil compositions are softly textured and vary in mood and design to suit the story. The settings and characterizations have the feel of a 50s Audrey Hepburn movie. Viewers who love pink will be enthralled by Adele's striking, fashionable ensemble against the impressionistic gray rain when she ventures out to find her gift-giver. VERDICT At 80 pages, Callot's title is a sweet and tender story best shared one-on-one with those who enjoy just a hint of romance. Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library