JENNIFER JONES WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE

Jennifer Jones sits at the desk adjacent to the boy narrator, and her unrelenting, goo-goo-eyed ardor leaves him wishing "she could move to the jungle/ And live in a tree/ And talk to the monkeys/ Instead of to me." But when Jennifer moves to Europe instead—and, according to her letters, becomes the toast of the continent—the boy finds that the world is a much lonelier place. Losing himself in schoolwork is futile: "It's boring! It's lonely!/ I miss her a lot./ I wish she'd return/ To her usual spot." Wishinsky's (previously teamed with Layton for Nothing Scares Us) pithy rhymes spark Layton's pleasingly dizzying cartoons. His scratchy ink line brings a comic spontaneity and edginess to every scene, and succinctly conveys the boy's emotional writhing at the very thought of being the object of Jennifer's crush. Marginalia, clip art and photograph collages (Layton draws Jennifer on top of photos taken in various capital cities, savoring the pleasures of Europe) punctuate the pages and add a goofily alluring visual depth. As for Jennifer's true love, it finally does conquer all: when she sends notice that she's returning home, the boy runs out to buy a plethora of red hearts. Ages 3-8. (Jan.)