Love Notes

Joe sends Katy a love note, carefully printed on school paper. A delighted Katy saves the note in her lunch box and engages in mild flirtation at recess. The next day she returns Joe's sentiments in a note but the schoolyard romance is nipped in the bud when Jason intercepts the note and yells, ``Joe's got a girlfriend!'' Joe buckles under pressure and disavows Katy completely, but sends her a valentine that says ``You're a SUPER friend.'' Matters improve when both children arrive at a teasing, friendly relationship. This story of love and tribal custom among the primary-school set will ring true for second- and third-graders; the trial and error of learning acceptable social behavior is often laden with a measure of confusion. Deep colors decorate the stiff drawings, which are often bordered with boxed scenes of children reciting various jump-rope rhymes, playground chants and taunts known to this age group. Although the story is one-dimensional, aspects of it should prove popular. Ages 5-8. (Jan.)