The Milkman

With its cheery, 1940's retro art and its small-town nostalgia, this good-humored tale about a helpful milkman is as fresh as dairy cream. Newcomer Cordsen's rhythmical, rhyming sentences are clipped but combined with Jones's (Madam President) clever illustrations, the action is clear: ""Mr. Plimpton out of bed./ Cream in coffee. Egg on bread./ Milkman jacket. Milkman hat./ Cranky pickup. Cranky cat."" Mr. Plimpton resembles a lanky cross between Dagwood and Jim Carey, and Jones's comical, colored cartoons feature the milkman making his rounds with his sleepy feline. Jones fills the pages with a recurring meadowlark, homey details, and vintage cars, while his palette gradually changes from blue dawn to rosy morning. Cordsen sustains the brisk tone as Mr. Plimpton delivers not only the milk, but also a toy for a new baby and a Get Well card. When Mr. Plimpton notices a sign about young Caroline's missing dog, repeated lines thicken the plot: ""Mr. Plimpton looks around. Sees a shadow. Hears a sound."" Observant readers will notice a dog disappearing through a fence or hiding in a bush until the milkman finally rescues the missing pooch and takes him back to the delighted owner. The satisfying story ends with the milkman returning to his own ""Hugging. Kissing,"" family in the country. Ages 3-up.