TIMOTHY COX WILL NOT CHANGE HIS SOCKS

Providing ample evidence that he’s no Dr. Seuss, Kinerk presents in wordy anapests young Timothy who, for no discernible reason beyond affirming his self-image as “the type who / gets an idea and then follows it through!” decides not to change his socks for a month. He’s unfazed by a swelling chorus pleading, “Timothy, Timothy, Timothy Cox, / won’t you consider, please, changing your socks?” Worn by a self-confident, red-thatched lad, the offending footwear trails greenish-yellow clouds in Gammell’s increasingly spattered illustrations, then after month’s end, finds a permanent home in a locked case at school, “with a sign that declares Timmy followed things through, / and others might think about doing that too.” Gammell’s a good choice for illustrator, and will likely be finding more and more work in this era of farting dogs and histories of poop, but Horton the elephant’s still the go-to guy for stick-to-it-iveness. (Picture book. 6-8)