CLEMENTINE AND MUNGO

An imaginative older sister answers her brother’s questions about the nature of things. A deep enough hole will reach the center of the earth, a cat can unzip its fur so that it doesn’t overheat in the summer, and a dragon lives in the pipes of your home to heat the water for bath time. Clementine is not even stumped when Mungo asks why some leaves are red and some green. The answer: “Tiny painting pig-ments,” depicted as pigs in the lone attempt at humor. As readers follow the pair through their day, more and more imaginative answers spring forth from Clementine’s vast store of wisdom. But at bedtime, it’s Mungo who provides the most important answer of all: “At night, when it gets very dark, why don’t you get scared, Mungo?” “ . . . because I know you are always there for me, Clementine.” The right illustrations might have pulled off the storyline, but Dyer’s simplistic illustrations are reminiscent of grade-school colored-pencil drawings. They will not capture the attention of young readers, especially since the siblings lack expressive faces. This is one to miss. (Picture book. 3-6)