Must. Push. Buttons!

Good, a writer and comedian, created a small viral sensation in 2011 by blogging a list entitled “Approximately Three Minutes Inside the Head of My Two-Year-Old.” Krosoczka (Peanut Butter and Jellyfish) turns a (less profane) version of the list into a jumble of vignettes starring a mischievous boy, whose behavior slips and slides along a continuum that ranges from “Mommy left FOREVER!” (no, she’s right there in the kitchen) to “I think I peed.” As stories go, it’s basically a series of rapidly shifting emotional gears: “I’m tired. I’m not tired. This shirt itches. STOP ASKING ME IF I’M TIRED.” The boy has enough agency and independence to be an appealing hero (he seems closer to a preschooler than the original list’s toddler), but the action is surprisingly mild-mannered; because the scenes and literal captions never build to anything, the pages quickly take on a catalog feel. Nevertheless, weary parents—as well those responsible for some of that weariness—will find it easy to recognize themselves. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)