NEXT PLEASE

Winner of the top award at the Bologna Children's Book Fair when it was introduced in its original 1997 German edition, this beguiling book transmutes the scariness of a trip to the doctor into a playful fantasy. The text is spare: "Five are waiting," reads the opener, which, as on the other spreads, faces a full-page watercolor. The accompanying illustration shows five broken toys perched on chairs in a room lit only by the bulb from the lamp that swings, interrogation-room–style, from the ceiling, and by the glow escaping from the crack under a closed door. Fine cross-hatching, à la Edward Gorey, contributes to the ominous mood. Soon the door opens, and a voice is heard ("Next, please"): a wingless wind-up penguin waddles into the exam room, its wind-up key twisting out its back, as the others look on warily. "Four waiting" lets readers observe the remaining toys sitting apprehensively; "Door opens./ One comes out" depicts the penguin, new wings at its side, emerging triumphantly. The pattern repeats, without variation, until the last spread reveals the smiling doctor, surrounded by his tools, welcoming his final "patient." The doom-and-gloom ambiance gives kids an outlet for their own waiting-room anxiety even as the humor—understated, always sympathetic—puts their fears to rest. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)