Small in stature but armed with a monstrous attitude, Lily Jean rides into the neighborhood atop an armchair her moving men are unloading. “I can skate backwards and stand on my head,” she boasts to Carly and her older sister, Sandy. Lily Jean invites herself to join in their games, but her bossiness dictates the agenda. She pressures Carly into acting as a baby and a cow so she can delight in playing house and cowgirls with Sandy. While resting as the royal pooch, however, clever Carly turns the tide on the haughty diva. The neatly realized conclusion resolves any hint of conflict. Acrylic lines sketch Lily Jean's demanding personality. Oil crayon and gouache touches enhance the pencil-and-watercolor spreads; calming colors suit the youngsters' imaginative romps. The child-centered dialogue reflects Carly's realistic vulnerability as well as Sandy's ambivalence as she's both drawn to the dynamic newcomer and troubled by her treatment of Carly. Though Sandy quietly supports her little sister's inclusion, refreshingly, it's Carly's assertiveness that stops the bullying behavior. A fresh twist on the classic motif of the odd man, or girl, out. (Picture book. 4-7)
