cover image Rosy's Pool

Rosy's Pool

Lucy Dickens. Viking Children's Books, $13.95 (26pp) ISBN 978-0-670-83577-5

Wearing a chic floral-print hat, Rosy reaches into her mother's shopping bag to find a new inflatable wading pool. With help from mother and Sam, her eager older brother, the toddler inflates her new plaything. (Her repetition of ``Rosy do it'' is an amusing touch, and one that children and their parents can easily relate to.) Once the pool is filled with water, Rosy and her two friends climb in, and Sam sprays them with water from the hose. When the children are called in for supper, Rosy's dogs--and eventually several birds--have a chance to splash in the new pool. In Dickens's first picture book, it is not this somewhat thin story line that captures the attention. Rather, her background as a fashion illustrator is pleasingly evidenced by the strikingly slapdash paintings that fairly glow with light. With their sketchy outlines and splashes of vibrant color, these characters are smartly suited indeed. Ages 3-8. ( Apr .)