Itsy Mitsy Runs Away

Mitsy may be itsy, but she has no shortage of energy or determination. She's also a sartorial standout, wearing lime green, dinosaur-style footie/hoodie pajamas and bright orange goggles. But what matters most is that she intends to run away to "the perfect place where there is no bedtime ever, not even one." And she will%E2%80%94it's just that Dad keeps making excellent suggestions about things she should add to her suitcase. Told she'll need a friend, she packs her stuffed dinosaur. Told she'll need a snack, she packs the contents of the refrigerator. Eventually, she's packed her entire house, yard and all, and even Dad, because, as she points out with her remaining patience, "Little girls don't mow lawns. Grown-ups do!" Debut talent Allen, an animator and character designer, has a breezy drawing style and a cheery disdain for logic reminiscent of 1950s-era cartoons. Backgrounds are lightly sketched, scary "bedtime beasties" appear as dotted outlines, and Mitsy's declarations often appear in prim, vintage-looking borders. Yet the freewheeling art stays anchored by Allen's very funny text, which combines rhythmic, cumulative passages with Mitsy's irreverent, precocious voice. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (May)