Nina's Book of Little Things

In July 1988, pop artist Haring (1958-1990) created an empty scrapbook for Nina Clemente, a friend's daughter, on the occasion of her seventh birthday. He intended Nina to build a miscellany of ""little things"" like lists, doodles and stickers. This facsimile extends the invitation to the artist's fans. Professionally bound like any coffee-table edition, this volume still carries a trace of its homemade aesthetic and its speedy, but affectionate, creation. Haring's playful comments are hand-printed in black or silver marker, and his signature icons of round-headed people and pointy-eared dogs dance on the margins of the matte white pages. Each spread comes with whimsical instructions. Spaces are reserved for ""things I saw at the circus"" and ""little songs I learned."" One page pictures a red umbrella and reads, adamantly, ""Only use this page when it is raining! Drizzling and snow don't count! Rain only!"" Haring titles another, covered with sloppy blotches of green, red and orange paint, ""The little mess page. I made a mess. You finnish it. Try to turn my little mess into a story."" His conspicuous misspelling just adds to the casual tone, and his witty assignment encourages genuine creativity. This album, worlds away from a standard coloring book or photo folio, might look too tidy to stuff full of cutouts and dried flowers. Yet it is an appealing repository for personal history--and a chance to ""collaborate"" with the enthusiastic artist. Simply cross out the Ninas and get to work. All ages. (Feb.)