Jasper's Beanstalk

In their latest collaboration, Butterworth and Inkpen ( I Wonder at the Zoo ; Just Like Jasper ) bring back the amiable feline character, who found a bean on Monday. On Tuesday, Jasper planted his bean; on Wednesday he watered it; and on Thursday ``he dug and raked and sprayed and hoed it.'' On each successive day--and spread--the busy fellow tends his would-be beanstalk. But when no growth appears in a week's time, Jasper digs up the bean and tosses it over his shoulder, lamenting, ``That bean will never make a beanstalk.'' Youngsters will be as thrilled as this hero himself to discover that his pronouncement is wrong. As the cat sits reading the well-known tale of another successful beanstalk cultivator, a small bird informs Jasper that a leafy stalk is growing outside his window. With its basic concept, large-scale pictures, spare text and oversize typeface, this satisfying though slender story is a good choice for preschoolers as well as for children just beginning to read on their own. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)