Lily and Trooper's Summer
PreSchool-In the first title, Lily and her dog, Trooper, spend a spring day picnicking and making the acquaintance of a cow, a few sheep, some pigs, and a family of ducks. Several mishaps, including landing in a mud puddle, require them to clean up three times before bedtime. In the second book, the pair go to the beach, pick flowers, and play ball. Each single-page illustration has one line of text beneath it, often only single-word exclamations. The vibrant artwork reveals objects and figures outlined in black in front of swirling, flowing backgrounds of thickly applied paint. The bright colors will attract children but they may be put off by the uneven, choppy wording. These books, which were originally published in the Netherlands, read more like a series of vignettes than stories and have the tone of an album with brief descriptive phrases for each picture. For more entertaining seasonal books about a child and beloved pet, turn to Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble (S & S, 1996) and Henry and Mudge in the Green Time (Bradbury, 1987).Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.