RIP SQUEAK AND HIS FRIENDS

This first book in a projected series, the Roaring Adventures of Rip Squeak, by a husband-and-wife team, suffers from a surfeit of cuteness. Rip Squeak and Jesse are brother and sister mice who befriend a lonely kitten one day when her owners are away. Their circle soon expands to include a theatrical frog named Euripedes, after he helps save Jesse from a not-so-fluffy feline. Any excitement that might have been drummed up by the mild adventures the creatures encounter is deflated by leaden descriptions ("they popped popcorn, told silly jokes and laughed so hard it hurt") and an excess of exclamation points. If the text borders on the trite ("If you play a little faster, the piano will make a happy sound and maybe that will make you happy too"), the artwork fares marginally better. Many of Leonard Filgate's paintings reflect a keen eye for composition and color, especially in the outdoor scenes and the endpapers, but the characters assume plush-toy status thanks to such overly precious features as long eyelashes and enormous ears. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)