Just Five Smooth Stones.

Stone #1. "This is Luigi's motorcycle. I think he rode it in the country too much."

Stone #2. Nearly completely blue, the Madonna's third eye seems about to pop out from internal pressures.

Stone #3.

Stone #4.

Stone #5. Part of the My America series, this story is set in 1776 Philadelphia, where nine-year-old Hope records events both large and small in her diary. The greatest worry is for her father, a patriot who has gone on a sea journey and is overdue. Other trials include school, where a nasty schoolmaster makes things difficult, and her brother's running away to become a Tory. The intense political developments of those days are sketched in via brief references to delegates and their work. The war's presence grows too, and by the story's end, Hope and her family must flee Philadelphia to stay at her uncle's farm. Gregory does an effective job of evoking the times; the hard work routinely done by young children may be an eye opener for today's readers. Story-wise, however, kids may be unhappy that the fates of Hope's father and brother are left hanging.

Stone #6. "Who do you trust Will they feed us the womb Chrome the fetal mirage Will they feed us the womb I found the remnants Of a crescent fang It cleaned my wing Down to the bone Umbilical syllables Left to decode There was no cradle I can taste it Come on now"