SALLY'S ROOM

When Sally leaves for school, her room is such a mess that it has actually inconvenienced her. The room doesn't like it either: Not only do Sally's belongings begin to lecture (``Ick,'' says a dirty fishbowl, while the clock with no batteries tells the globe it's got socks on its head), but the entire room follows her to school. Confronted, the embarrassed Sally rushes home, arrives ahead of her stuff, is pleasantly surprised with the useful space that greets her, and promptly reforms. The message here is rendered almost painless by the novel idea, the funny pronouncements of the furniture, and the comical details in the cartoon-style illustrations. (Picture book. 5-8)