AUDREY AND BARBARA

Audrey wants to go to India. But Barbara, her cat, isn’t quite as enthusiastic. “Will I have to get off my pillow?” she asks. Still, the faithful feline sticks by her side as Audrey unveils her plan in this optimistic ode to friendship and the power of the imagination. Witty watercolors add depth to Lawson’s picture-book debut, which is written entirely in dialogue. One illustration, for example, shows Audrey, with spindly legs and oversize head, mounting her bicycle while Barbara waits in the doorway. “ ‘We have a long way to go. India is on the other side of the world.’ / ‘But what about the ocean?’ asked Barbara. / ‘What ocean?’ ” On the next page, Audrey and Barbara consult a globe. “ ‘That one,” said Barbara. ‘It’s between us and India.’ / ‘Oh,’ said Audrey.” The back-and-forth banter establishes Audrey as the visionary adventurer and Barbara as the voice of reason (and always looking for a nap). Undaunted, the heroine suits up for a swim across the sea; attempts to turn her bathtub into a boat; then outfits it with wheels from an old baby buggy. As she rolls it out the door, Barbara asks what will happen if the wind stops blowing and they get tired of rowing. “We’ll be stuck in the middle of the ocean,” she says. For the first time, optimistic Audrey contemplates defeat. But Barbara soon buoys her spirit, suggesting, “We could ask a whale for a two.” “That’s a great idea,” answers Audrey. In the end, the two set sail (Audrey’s outfitted the rig with Barbara’s favorite pillow) and end up on elephants in front of the Taj Mahal. Of course. (Picture book. 4-7)