I’m on It! (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!)

Prepositions pile up to dizzying heights in this early reader extravaganza by Tsurumi (Sharko and Hippo), part of Mo Willems’s Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series. The contest between Frog and Goat, drafted in clean, sure lines, begins as a friendly game. Goat perches theatrically on a stump: “I’m ON it!” Frog, in an adjacent pond, shows interest, finger to frog lips, then leaps onto a rock: “I’m on it, too!” Soon, Goat is posing on the stump with a watering can while wearing an old tire, hula hoop–style (“I’m on it and beside it AND inside it!”). Frog, whose pond produces more challenging objects to work with (a beaver, a crate of swimming toys), shows signs of anxiety. Goat poses with two potted sunflowers (“I’m on it and BETWEEN these!”), while Frog works with two fat, angry-looking fish (“I’m on it... and between these, too!?”). Readers can identify the prepositions and work out how they apply to the growing pile of props, but the story’s also about how to exit gracefully from a situation that’s getting out of control. High energy, punchy sentences, and focused action put this tale right on top. Ages 5–8. [em](May) [/em]