Alfonse, Where Are You?

Rich enough to please adult eyes, yet simple enough to hold the attention of fidgety two-year-olds, debut author/artist Wilker's painterly watercolors and lively text have a delightfully old-fashioned feel that at times recalls classic children's books of the 1950s and '60s. There is no hard-edged irony here--dialogue is blessedly straightforward, and the scenes have a natural sense of framing, with just enough detailing to let the reader sense the softness of the grass and the downy feathers of a chick. Alfonse the goose is trying to play hide-and-seek with his friend, Little Bird. But when the tiny chick mistakenly believes that she is supposed to be the hider rather than the seeker, Alfonse enlists a honking flock of friends to find her. The search grows so noisy that the geese never hear Little Bird calling, ""Here I am!"" Those who read the book aloud should have a field day with Alfonse's calls as well as the honks of his comrades. Wilker heightens the whimsical drama through her use of different typefaces: the fluffy Little Bird, for example, speaks her simple sentences in a bold, wavy type that complements her featherbrained personality. Readers will be eager to see what Wilker hatches next. Ages 2-6. (June)