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LET ME DO IT!

For those hoping to raise self-reliant children, Katie's parents make fine role models: Katie's mom lets her pour the milk, then—after she spills it—quietly hands her a sponge and paper towels (the latter are not environmentally correct); Dad lets her hold the hose and only laughs and shows her how to turn off the water when he gets wet. After Katie has maintained self- esteem through each mishap by helping to repair the damage (albeit with limited success—Band-Aids are stuck everywhere and her rewound yarn is more a tangle than a ball), Mom accedes to one last demand: the tot arranges her own blanket, half off the bed but ``all by herself.'' This cheery take on a typical two- year-old syndrome may be most entertaining to children who have recently moved beyond it. Paterson's buoyant illustrations, in which the mayhem Katie creates and various patient observers (including a dog and cat) are contained tidily on square, bordered pages, wonderfully extend the humor and the message of acceptance of a small child's first efforts toward independence. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: March 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-02-735827-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1994

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KATY CAT AND BEAKY BOO

Katy Cat And Beaky Boo ($14.99; Oct. 1996; 24 pp.; 1-56402-884-4): To search for her buddy Beaky Boo, Katy Cat uses lots of clues. What was he wearing? Does he have a beak? Or paws? What kind of food does he eat? Each page has multiple flaps to choose from; Beaky Boo is always behind the door with the correct answer. This easy guessing game in primary colors from the author of the Maisy books will help preschoolers with the basic skills of identifying numbers, colors, sounds, and clothes. (Picture book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1996

ISBN: 1-56402-884-4

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1996

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THE WOLF'S LUNCH

In tight close-ups and by offering only one or two shapes at a time, Douzou introduces the wolf's visage piece by piece. The illustrations are artful but abstract: To a toddler the wolf's nose on the page is just a red brick, and the jagged triangles that are its teeth, shown with a carrot in a vise-like clench, are unreadable. That's the point. When enough body parts are present to construe what this creature is, children learn that the wolf is a vegetarian. A witty volume that seems aimed over the heads of the conventional board-book audience, but that will have children giggling. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-8118-1806-3

Page Count: 26

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997

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