JAMIE'S STORY

Toddler Jamie's minimal story begins when ""I open my eyes"" in the morning, and ends when ""I close my eyes"" at night; in between, ""I wash and dress"" and--since the setting is an old-fashioned truck farm--""We work hard"" pulling up carrots and such, and ""rest"" waiting for customers at a roadside stand. Jamie also pitches in to gather eggs and mix batter; then comes supper, a bath, and the inevitable bedtime. The pictures are in pretty pastels, but otherwise this is totally colorless--more so than the Lenski books (The Little Family, Papa Small) from which it's descended, probably because there are no siblings (virtually no personal interactions altogether) and little attention is paid to the actualities of everyday living. The day proceeds eventlessly, benignly, wanly--with little farm-boy Jamie doing (for better or worse) what most youngsters don't.