WHO WAS IT?

Getting an illicit cookie, Isabelle accidentally breaks the jar. ""Who made this horrible mess?"" asks Mama angrily, unwisely ensuring a denial. Isabelle invents a series of colorful explanations--a dragon, kangaroos--while Mama, having regained her wits, mildly points out why they are unlikely (""I didn't think you believed in monsters anymore""). But when little brother Jerome suggests that the culprit was a hungry astronaut, Isabelle is ready to admit that it was a ""hungry little kid. . .one hungry little girl. . .Me."" And they all clean up together. An excellent model of a nonjudgmental, guilt-reducing exchange; the straight-forwardly realistic illustrations derive humor from the imaginary culprits, while the faces of the real characters clearly express the full range of their emotions.