'Albert and the Angels'
By Leslie Norris, pictures by Mordicai Gerstein
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $16
Leslie Norris is a renowned Welsh poet who teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. His side interest is writing children's literature, of which the story of "Albert and the Angels" is a new, delightful example.
Norris has enlisted the help of Mordicai Gerstein, an illustrator who lives in Northampton, Mass., to produce a terrific little book about Albert, a young boy who learns that his mother's fondest hope for Christmas is a precious gold medallion on a delicate gold chain that she lost years ago.
From his talking dog, Lucille, Albert gets an idea of how to raise money for such a gift — playing his flute on the street. Although he is cut short in that plan, a policeman gives Albert a gift that helps him pursue his goal. Although he attains his goal, a disaster strikes that causes him to go out looking for the present on the dark, snowy night before Christmas. He runs into an angel, and this story ends happily for all. — Dennis Lythgoe
'Light Action in the Caribbean'
By Barry Lopez
Alfred A. Knopf, $22
Barry Lopez's new collection of short stories is uneven, quirky and — in the case of one piece — unforgettable.
The title story tells what happens when a typical American couple (well, OK, maybe the man is more arrogant than 95 percent of American men, and the woman is a tad shallow) take a diving vacation in the Caribbean.
The story begins as a light social commentary. It ends in nihilism. It is stunning.
Not all the stories in the collection are as compelling. Lopez is also the author of "Crow and Weasel." Remember that beautifully illustrated little fable from 1990?
Well, Lopez still likes fables. You can expect a lot of allegory from his newest work. A lot of allegory. — Susan Whitney
'Master of the Cross Roads'
By Madison Smartt Bell
Pantheon, $30
Bell is a historical novelist who describes the rise to power of the great Haitian military general Toussaint Louverture and the story of the only successful slave revolution in history.
Beginning in 1794, Toussaint led his troops to victory over English and Spanish invaders. He extended the ideological triumphs of the French and American revolutions by offering liberty and human rights to all races.
The result is a well-written, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary historical figure. — Dennis Lythgoe