UGH!

From the attention-grabbing frontispiece--a tangerine tyrannosaur that looms over a masterfully composed pair of cavemen who are fleeing across the title page--a cartoon-style plot is transformed by this Caldecott-winner duo's whimsical satire and impeccable, childlike logic. Ugh, a Cinderella of a boy whose siblings keep him busy slaving around the cave (""Rub feet!"". . .""Get grub!"". . .""Mop floor!""), persists in being creative. When a ""local scientist"" invents the wheel, Ugh promptly puts it to use by building the first bicycle. Admiring the invention, his people seek the only one who can ride it (Ugh, its inventor) and proclaim him king. The crisp text has the wry, understated wit that made Oh, Brother! so hilarious; Egielski's sturdy figures are comically expressive, his blue-grays and earth tones subtly combined. A handsome book that should have wide popular appeal, even while it challenges popular stereotypes.