Limelight Larry

Joining the ranks of id-driven heroes like Mo Willems's Pigeon and M%C3%A9lanie Watt's Chester, Hodgkinson's (Smile!) Limelight Larry, a peacock looking forward to having a whole book to himself, debuts in a self-referential story that offers a continuous string of laughs. "What do you want, Mouse?" Larry asks early on. "This is a book all about me, not you. There is no room for you on that page. Look! You're making it all messy!" Not unexpectedly, the pages are soon crowded with attention-seeking animals%E2%80%94such as Wolf, who has brought his own "old-fashioned scary forest," and Elephant, who promises a big surprise at the end%E2%80%94and Larry throws a tantrum, clearing the stage with a big, foil-embossed spread that shows off his plumage. Numerous winks and nods about Larry's obnoxious personality keep the party going ("Perhaps he should wait and see if this book is any good first, huh?" the narrator says about Larry's feeling that there should be many more books about him), while splashy color, overlapping textures, and a roaring variety of typefaces make each page a three-ring circus worthy of the limelight. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (Sept.)