CAN'T SIT STILL

A young African-American wriggles and spins around her urban home and neighborhood, celebrating the seasons with her mother and cat. Scattered about the page and almost free of punctuation, the text dances with her, with back-slanted italics deftly marking the change in mood when momma speaks—``jump two/bump two/drag the bag/four flights of steps/tomorrow's garbage day/momma says/here you go baby/you forgot the tuna/put down the tin and click my tongue/night kittens come running....'' Browning's watercolor and mixed-media technique works better on buildings and clothing than on human figures: the girl's daubed, heavily worked skin and slightly clumsy gestures don't capture her high spirits as well as the exuberant compositions and vivid play of blue, green, and orange. A sunny look at inner-city life—now playful, now reflective, but never heavy. (Picture book. 6-8)