The Wee Little Woman

Arrestingly set off by deep lime or golden-yellow backgrounds, Barton's trademark childlike illustrations propel this familiar tale of a wee little woman. One day she milks her wee little cow and gets a wee little milk in her wee little pail, which she places on the wee little table. Alas, along comes her wee little cat, who drinks up all the milk. When the woman spies these goings-on, she yells ""Scat Cat,"" and the feline runs away ""for a wee long time."" The contrite creature returns to find that his wee-ping owner has a bowl of milk (yes, it's wee) awaiting her prodigal pet, and all is forgiven. Kids will lap this one up-they'll be requesting repeat readings long after adults have tired of the tale's incessant repetition. Though a wee little effort compared with some of his previous work (The Three Bears; Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones; Machines at Work), this book again demonstrates Barton's mastery of the droll delivery. Ages 3-6. (May)