Alice's Blue Cloth

While her mother prepares a cake, Alice and her cat Tom Tippler hinder more than help the process. Then Alice discovers a blue cloth, which she pretends is a queen's royal robe, a knight's cloak, the deep blue sea and eventually a tent in which she takes a nap. When she wakes up, it is to the sight of a birthday cake on the table, covered by the beloved blue cloth. Appealing in its celebration of a toddler's vivid imagination, this book features witty watercolors; van der Beek captures Alice's lively personality, the cat's aloof participation and the mother's gamine appearance. Ages 2-5. (Feb.)