SLIDE, ALREADY!

Allen’s latest begins with an unbelievable premise—that a child would be unfamiliar with a playground slide—and relies on an intimidating gang of children to move the action forward. “Slide!” they demand, hands on hips, and eventually, the boy does, even though he’s afraid. There’s a positive message here (Take a risk! Try it! You might like it!), but there’s something sad and lonely, too, in the little boy who climbs the ladder by himself, and the pack of tight-lipped meanies who harass him. In a series of double-page spreads, with the children on one side and the boy on the other, the tension is palpable. Talk about peer pressure. Allen’s computer-generated illustrations, saturated with color, and populated by bald, stick-legged, children boldly outlined in black, contribute to the cold tone. Enough, already. (Board book. 2-5)