BILLY AND MILLY
By
No matter what Billy does to please new neighbor Milly, she's a step ahead -- when he takes over his two-wheeler to share, she has a little car with gears and a windshield; when he decides to show her his turtle, she's just back from the zoo chattering about a crocodile and an armadillo and a great big tortoise. But the unkindest cut comes when he washes his face and hands and combs his hair and puts on a clean shirt and his new jacket (he's been getting a little more spruced up every time) and goes out in the rain to keep her company, only to find her surrounded by friends; then he feels ""silly and chilly, and ANGRY!"" The next day, in his old play clothes, he resolves to show her something she doesn't have, his water pistol--and shoots it in her face. That could be THE END, but the next week Milly comes around (literally) in a pretty new dress, proving that indifference pays. There's a jauntiness in pictures and text that youngsters will enjoy and Billy, bless him, doesn't gloat.