Joe, about six, is supposed to keep an eye on baby Amy, but Joe's so busy making mud pies and ``sloppy spider stew'' that he 2never notices when Amy wanders out the gate he shouldn't have left open. Panic--but an urgent search, with the help of the kindly neighbors in this English village, soon turns up the missing tot--whose penitent brother now realizes how much he loves her. Porter may not have Shirley Hughes's sure touch, but her well-observed watercolors for this engaging minidrama have a similar appeal. (Picture book. 4-7)
