Tell Me a Mitzi

Three hilarious, quirky tales about a young city girl's adventures big and small, from taking a taxi to meeting the president.bLore Segal's classic children's book tells three stories about Mitzi and her family, whose lives unfold within a gritty and yet dreamy cityscape of stoops and row houses that seem to have emerged from a time out of time. In the first story, Mitzi dresses up her baby brother and sets out with him to visit their grandparents, a venturesome undertaking that takes a curious turn when a key piece of information proves missing. In the second, Mitzi's whole family falls sick, but a foolproof remedy rides in to the rescue. In the last, the president comes to town and Mitzi's day is made. Lore Segal's droll dialogue and offkilter storytelling are beautifully complemented by Harriet Pincus&rsquos unnervingly earnest and goofy underground comicbook style illustrations, which won the praise of Maurice Sendak. These are stories about childhood independence and family closeness that capture childhood in all its puzzlement, resourcefulness, unsentimental wonder.