ANTHONY AND THE GIRLS

Originally published in Germany, a wry episode in social interaction is conveyed in deceptively simple art and text. A smiling lad swaggers up to a sandbox in which two girls are playing. “Here comes Anthony. Anthony is cool.” But despite having a bucket, a shovel and a “really big car,” Anthony can’t get the girls to give him a glance. Nor does daredevil behavior (going down the slide head first), or building “the biggest house in the world” from a chair and other found materials gain notice. The house falls down, and Anthony starts to cry—that earns both a cookie and an invitation into the sandbox. But then along comes Luke, and he has even cooler toys. Illustrated with round-headed, Charlie Brown–style figures over a scant handful of words per page, this is nonetheless likely to have more meaning for readers who recognize its metaphorical level. (Picture book. 4-8)