MAX'S CHOCOLATE CHICKEN

Max is back, as irresistibly nonconformist as ever. "One morning somebody [it looks like the Easter Bunny, but, then, Max is a rabbit too. . .] put a chocolate chicken in the birdbath." Ruby, Max's sister, knows all the rules: whoever finds the most eggs gets the chocolate chicken. Max doesn't care about rules; he puts his basket in a mud puddle, finds a spoon, watches ants, makes ant-and-acorn pancakes, and finally takes the chocolate chicken away and eats it. Ruby doesn't know whether to be incensed or to negotiate. But not to worry—a chocolate turkey appears for her, and Max says, "I love you!" This delicious summing up of the contrast between two quintessentially different personalities is reflected in Wells' wonderfully expressive laces; despite the book's small size, cheerful colors and bold forms suit it for groups, while the text is also easy enough for beginning readers.