And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends

This utopian tale begins with passing discord between siblings and progresses to a vision of world peace through an enormous parade. Inspired by Dr. Seuss's And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, the light-footed rhythms of Hoberman's (One of Each) text skip blithely from easily resolved family squabbles to a quarrel with a neighbor that begins the burgeoning parade joined by townsfolk, police officers and zoo animals. The lion may not lie down with the lamb, but according to Hawkes's (Weslandia) pulsing and swaying spreads, they will cavort together to band music. Although everyone here unites in song, in the book's first examples, music has no role; those incidents merely point to the transience of anger and seem slightly out of step with the rest of the text. But even those aberrations reflect the infusion of Seuss's spirit in Hoberman's fluid rhythms and rhymes. Hawkes's exaggerated perspectives, bustling crowd scenes and loud colors contribute to the carnivalesque gaiety--especially when the revelers cross the ocean on the backs of sharks and birds. Youngsters will want to jump in before this parade can pass them by. Ages 5-8. (Oct.)