WHATEVER

A remake of Maurice Sendak’s Pierre (1962), with a more trenchant ending. Though his dad tries hard to please him, taking him out to the zoo and butterfly garden, on a train ride and even into space, Billy responds to each overture with a shrug: “Whatever.” But it’s turnabout, at last, when Billy takes a slide into the belly of a huge tiger; his dad leaves him there, answering his muffled complaint with a shrug of his own. Bee tells the tale and illustrates with small figures suspended against blank backgrounds. Perfect for sharing with little ingrates, though the question begs to be asked: Why this and not the original when this is almost a carbon copy? (Picture book. 6-8)