PINKY DINKY DOO: WHERE ARE MY SHOES?

Get ready for gales of giggles as young Pinky regales her little brother Tyler Doo with a truly daffy tale. Unable to find her shoes one morning, Pinky at last rushes off to school with slices of bologna on her feet—to discover the rest of her class beset with the same problem, and shod in a variety of foodstuffs, from a pasta wrap to roasted chickens. Jinkins and his collaborator illustrate this unusual, to say the least, predicament with flat cartoon characters superimposed on color photos of typical school and domestic scenes, with unusual deftness. The author also tucks in zany multiple choices, matching games, a maze, and other painless pedagogical devices. When school lunch turns out to include the likes of Barbecued Cowboy Boots and Frozen Flip-Flops, Pinky Dinky puts her brain to work and comes up with the neat, obvious, unappetizing solution—and, she reassures readers (along with her listener), “since this was a made-up story, you don’t have to worry about dirty food or germs or STINKY FEET!” Inspired silliness, with humor and interactive features perfectly pitched for its intended audience. (Easy reader. 7-8)