NO DESSERT FOREVER!

Lyon and Catalanotto capture the experience many children will recognize: What happens when the wrong kid gets the scolding? Here, a little boy in a skeleton mask frightens his ballet-skirted sister, and she accidentally knocks over a lamp. Mom, who’s been painting a wall in the next room, only catches her daughter’s apparent carelessness. She severely scolds the girl, who does the same to her doll, spinning out an elaborate fantasy for “When you get little and I get big.” She’ll be the (mean) Queen of Mealtime, of Doorknobs, of Bedtime, fashioning merciless punishments. When mother discovers her mistake, she rushes to make amends. And daughter promises her doll that when she gets big, “I’ll never get mad at you!” Lyon’s thoughtful story is greatly enhanced by Catalanotto’s realistic illustrations in watercolor and gouache, and by a decision to let several of the pictures speak for themselves, with no text. An offbeat winner. (Picture book. 5-9)