cover image Dog Boy Cap Skate

Dog Boy Cap Skate

Nicki Weiss. Greenwillow Books, $11.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-688-08275-8

Readers will marvel at the vast images conjured by so few words in these two picture books. Weiss ( Where Does the Brown Bear Go? ) limits herself to just 57 words for the pictures in each work. In the first, a boy and his dog take their skates to the park and meet up with friends (``Hill Sled Pond Park; Friend Smile Friend Bark''), where they spend an enjoyable afternoon on the ice. In the other story, a family packs up a picnic lunch and other things for a day at the beach (``Fruit Sandwich Pickle Jar; Basket Swimsuit Beach Ball Car''). The buoyant, streamlined pastels tie everything together and accent the action in the tales. Beginning readers will love these two, which aptly demonstrate the way mere words become part of a story. Ages 3-up. (Sept.)