Brown (Baby, Mix Me a Drink
), the author of faux
children's titles for an adult audience, now turns in a picture book intended for children despite an archness of tone. Six sections with a few pages each include suggestions disguised as aping exercises. "How to be a Bear," for instance, invites readers to "Catch fish with your hands./ Hibernate./ Growl./ Be brave." Accompanying artwork features a brother and sister with matching knobby knees and lumpy red bathing suits. The two amuse themselves against blank white fields that create a feeling of make-believe, even if it plays up the rather distant tone of the children's interactions. "How to be a Monkey" starts, "Swing from a tree," while the brother swings from a branch, and his sister eats grapes above him. "Eat with your toes," it continues, as the boy brings a bunch of grapes to his mouth with his foot. "Copy someone" shows a series of stop-action drawings of the brother mimicking his sister; she discovers him, then stamps and shouts. Unfortunately, the choppy format does not allow for much characterization here; readers never get much of a sense of either sibling and may not see a need to heed their advice. Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (May)
