THE WIMP

Arnold the piglet is a classic wimp. Watson and Clyde, the two school bullies, steal his hat, rip up his homework, and set off stink bombs next to his desk. When Arnold's sister, Rose, tries to teach him how to stand up for himself, the bullies get her in trouble too. ``You were right,'' Rose says to Arnold. ``They are out to get you. And me too.'' Early one morning, when Arnold and Rose find the bullies spray-painting the walls of the school, Arnold strands them at the crime scene by stealing their ladder. In the end, Arnold and Rose get their revenge, and Arnold learns how to deal with bullies: by giving them a dose of their own medicine. Caple (Fox and Bear, 1992, etc.) has written a ho-hum book about sticking up for yourself with boxed-in, cartoon-style illustrations to match. (Fiction/Picture book. 4-8)