IF I WERE A JUNGLE ANIMAL

Morton’s imagination takes him on a wild adventure. Coach hollers at him to pay attention, but Morton (who looks about eight years old) never gets any action in deep right field. He wishes himself into a jungle, overgrown with colorful leaves, and soon he’s a lion. Morton’s lion is so raucous he scares away even the elephants. As a monkey, he gets tangled in vines, and his giraffe is confronted by a highly territorial snake. Similarly, his zebra, parrot and rhinoceros face daunting challenges. Maybe a walrus! Wait—walruses don’t live in the jungle. Morton’s dream is abruptly ended when a fly ball comes his way; can he catch it? Amanda Ellery’s tale is simple but delicious, and accessible to very young readers. Husband Tom’s expressive, Bill Peet–esque illustrations—in colored pencil, pen and ink—are all they should be: funny, original and so lively they virtually jump off the page. (Picture book. 3-6)