cover image Watch Out for These Weirdos!

Watch Out for These Weirdos!

Nancy Carlson, Rufus Kline. Viking Children's Books, $12.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-670-82376-5

Erin ``Starin'' McCarron, Ryan ``Cryin'' O'Brien, and ``Tattlin'' Madeline Brown are just a few of the hilarious characters who parade through the world of this picture book's hero. Each of the kids has his or her own set of peculiarities, spelled out in a ``WANTED'' poster that includes Age, Height, Latest Crime, and Approach with Caution. Kline's silly text and Carlson's stylized illustrations are directed toward a child's slapstick humor; the book avoids cruelty since the narrator says at the end, ``But don't say anything bad about them . . . because they're my friends.'' Ages 3-8. (Mar.)