THE OUTSIDE INN
by George Ella Lyon & illustrated by Vera Rosenberry
``What's for breakfast? Ants with ketchup. What's to drink? Puddle ink....'' An interracial quartet of kids is puckishly depicted no larger than the little creatures they joke about eating for their picnic; in a last double spread, the birds and beasts who really feast on worms and insects come out in full force. The deftly phrased text—capitalizing on one of childhood's perennial sources of glee—is paired with lighthearted but meticulous illustrations, each moth and slug shown in loving detail. Offbeat, but definitely worth a try. (Picture book. 4-8)