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)