Standing In for Lincoln Green

Mackintosh (The Frank Show) imagines an autocrat in a 10-gallon hat named Lincoln Green whose obliging double, a boy named You Know Who who lives in the mirror, does all his chores for him, freeing Lincoln to "grab some shuteye, listen to Sagebrush and Dawgies on the radio, and mosey over to Brian and Kenny's place to shoot the breeze." Lincoln Green uses You Know Who shamelessly, sending him off to practice music, mow the lawn, and even sit in the dentist's chair for him. An invitation to form a club with the boy next door wrecks the scheme, as You Know Who discovers that he doesn't have to do what Lincoln Green says. The result: "big trouble. It seems Lincoln Green has done nothing his mom has asked. And it's all because of You Know You." Mackintosh's wonderfully loopy line wanders over the pages, stopping to dwell on items of mechanical interest%E2%80%94toy trains, the dentist's chair, the detritus in Billy's treehouse. Though this complex patchwork of fantasy, fake nostalgia, and fable may baffle more literal-minded children, budding sophisticates will relish Mackintosh's irony. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Aug.)