ONE HOLE IN THE ROAD

It may be just one hole in the road, but it is causing a load of trouble. Two flagmen have to be called in, three barricades must be set up, seven jackhammers expose pipes spurting from eight leaks. Ultimately, ``ten workers in a flurry, hurrying, scurrying, trying to fix one hole in the road.'' Nikola-Lisa (Bein' With You This Way, 1994, etc.) employs frisky wording (``Nine storefronts flooding, Oh, my!'') while Yaccarino provides brightly captivating art, sleek in its composition and simplicity. The images are immediate, the color rich, the edges crisp. The story builds upon itself, the chaos deepens, and readers will lean in closer for the ending, whereupon the tale is smartly turned on its head: The hole is as problematical as it was at the start. A smart, funny piece. (Picture book. 2-6)