DON'T LAUGH, JOE!

Kasza (The Rat and the Tiger, 1993, etc.) serves up another humorous anthropomorphic tale told in a predictable pattern just right for reading aloud to preschoolers. Playing dead has never been harder than when Mother Possum tries to teach Joe ``the most important lesson a possum can learn,'' and he can't stop laughing. In the safety of their own home, Mother Possum sniffs him like a hungry fox, pokes him like a nasty coyote, and shakes him like a wildcat. All Joe can do is laugh. On the day his skill is tested in the wild, tension mounts, arriving in the form of a grumpy old bear who rushes from the woods growling at Joe. Joe plays dead perfectly, but a twist reveals that the bear was not unfriendly after all. The watercolors alone will have children giggling, and there is no better audience with an understanding of the difficulties of sitting still. (Picture book. 2-5)