WON'T YOU COME AND PLAY WITH ME?

A catchy nursery rhyme about the adventures of a boy as he meanders through errands for his mother. Donovan (Papa’s Bedtime Story, 1993) carefully cites her sources and encourages readers or listeners to elaborate on her verse—an especially nice touch for a rhyme that has its origins in children’s street calls. The boy wanders from baseball game to bakery, from sailing the harbor to home, managing to cover almost all the chores on the list, which is wittily illustrated on the opening and closing pages. Jabar’s scratchboard illustrations, similar to the ones she did for Rick Walton’s How Many How Many How Many (1993, not reviewed), are spackled with bright sea air and full of energy; she maps the day with a perfect grasp of children’s ideas about fun, and brings the adventures to a ringing close. (Picture book. 3-7)