BUILD IT UP AND KNOCK IT DOWN

Two little boy figures get together for a play date in a simple, repetitive text that emphasizes opposites. One page reads: “Turn it on and turn it off and turn it on again” and shows the boys pulling the chain on a lamp. The facing page shows their dark silhouettes with text only slightly altered: “Turn it off and turn it on and turn it off again.” The geometric, stick-figure illustrations with two eyes on one side of a face in profile and hair represented by several straight lines sticking up from a head the shape of a marshmallow are reminiscent of the drawings of a four-year-old. The mothers appear only as skirts and black high heels, lending the illustrations a retro feel. It’s short, sweet, simple, and made to appeal to a two-year-old whose greatest joy is to repeat endlessly his favorite activities until it’s time to “Go away and come on back and go away again.” Part of the Harper Growing Tree series that comes complete with “tips for reading and sharing.” (Picture book. 2-3)