Burningham definitely has his eye on an adult audience with this take on the effects of positive and negative reinforcement. When a parade of grownups overreacts at young Edwardo’s occasional childlike bouts of dirtiness, noise-making and misbehavior, he responds by becoming even dirtier, noisier and so forth. Then he throws a flowerpot down on the ground, and instead of complaining, a passerby compliments him on starting a garden. Similarly, when he douses a dog with water, he gets a commendation rather than a protest—and suddenly his pranks are all turning out for the better, his whole nature changes and he becomes a paragon of good behavior: “THE NICEST BOY IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD.” Illustrated with very simply drawn and colored scenes featuring a bristly haired, surly looking lad whose scowls gradually change to smiles as his reputation improves, this is a cautionary tale that children may want to bring to their parents, rather than the other way around. (Picture book. 6-8)
