Let's Pretend!

Jeremy arrives home at 4:00, an hour before either parent, but he fills the time with an imaginary adventure in the company of his trusty dog, Booby. First they go shopping (``Booby is a little afraid of the escalator, but Jeremy holds him tight''), and Jeremy picks up a pair of polka-dot trunks, sandals and flowered sunglasses; they slurp up some sodas; and embark on an ocean voyage (``The Statue of Liberty shown grinning insipidly will be happy to see us''). The self-consciously pixie-ish story, however, occasions truly spirited art. Bertrand ( Mr. and Mrs. Smith Have Only One Child . . . ) fills the entire spread with color and texture; it's as if her work has been painted or crayoned onto canvas or burlap and then magnified to exaggerate the grain. Jeremy and Booby almost whirl, so energetic are they and so dynamic are the backgrounds. Even when rendering a gloomy urban rainstorm or a cluttered windowless kitchen, Bertrand infuses the scenery with a sunny mood. If only the text had half the spontaneity of the art. Ages 5-up. (May)