A Pair of Red Sneakers

Dennis the Menace-style newspaper funnies may well be the inspiration for this energetic debut from Lawston and Sams. Miles, the sunny, spiky-headed protagonist encircled by beads of sweat resembling exclamation marks, waltzes into a shoe store and requests from an obliging bowtied salesman the perfect sneakers: ""I know what I want and I want them in red."" Miles demands the pair with ""star-studded parachute ties for diving or gliding through sunshiny skies""; the particular shoe ""with the tough attitude for when bullying bullies is what you must do""; not to mention the one ""that's said to be truly amazing if the Amazon jungle is where you're trailblazing."" In single-page, bright and densely detailed spreads, Sams visually keeps up with Lawston's tongue-twisting descriptions of this pair of sneakers' capabilities. For example, in the only double-page spread, depicting Miles wending his way through the Amazon hoisting a boa constrictor over his head, one sneaker sprouts a hand to hold the ""jaguar reflector,"" while the other confuses the mosquitoes and amuses the snake. Finally, the salesman reiterates the list of marvelous qualities that Miles dictated (""attachable toes, suction-cup grips, inflatable floats, rubberized tips""); however, he happens to be out of that particular brand in red. Despite the anticlimactic ending, the exuberant artwork and mesmerizing rhythm will have high-toppers high-steppin' and chanting along. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)