Little Critter Has Cat Trouble in What a Good Kitty

Over the summer, my brother Nathan was taking a walk in a cemetery when he stumbled upon a tiny kitten sitting on a gravestone. When he turned to head home, the kitten followed him, and he decided to bring the furry fellow home for the night. That night turned into several, and soon Chester – named after the man on whose grave he was situated – became one of the family. He’s an adorable gray tiger who purrs like a motorboat. He’s also a boatload of trouble, not unlike the feline at the heart of the Mercer Mayer I Can Read! book What a Good Kitty.

What a Good Kitty is a recent installment in the extensive Little Critter series. It is a My First reader, the lowest reading level of the five in the I Can Read! line of books for youngsters. Because of this, the book contains very short sentences featuring simple words and lots of repetition. Most pages have only one or two sentences, usually describing Kitty’s actions and the reactions of Mom, Dad and Little Sister, all of whom find this newcomer a bit of a nuisance.

As in most Little Critter books, the young scamp with the spiky hair and rumpled overalls narrates, and his thoughts are very little kiddish, making him easy for preschoolers, especially boys, to identify with. As his kitten gets reprimanded for making messes, the reader feels his frustration and empathy, since he, too, has a tendency to get into trouble just because of his high energy level.

Kitty herself is a soft gray cat with a white belly. She spends part of the book looking a bit exasperated, as though even she doesn’t have the energy to put up with Little Critter all day. At other times, though, she wears a sly smile indicating she can match him for mischief. This book shows some of the shenanigans families with kittens are likely to encounter: torn newspapers, unraveling yarn, traumatized fish and the like. And if the cat goes outside, getting stuck in a tree is always a real possibility.

This is a cute story about the trials and rewards of pet ownership. Those who want to make the book extra-fun should pay close attention to the spider and the mouse that appear throughout, often mimicking the behavior of Little Critter or Kitty. Mayer’s illustrations are so vibrant and full of details that there is enough to merit a second or third reading even though the story itself is very simple. No matter how intently they peruse the pages, for children eager to welcome a kitten into the home, this sweet tale with give them a good idea of what they are in for.

Christmas for Critter Means Fun For All

Mercer Mayer has been charming the world with his stories for decades, most famously with his extensive series of books for young readers about a lovable character of ambiguous species named Little Critter. This young scamp has been through all sorts of adventures, mostly of the everyday variety that a majority of young readers will have had themselves. In Merry Christmas, Little Critter! we see how he celebrates Christmas with his family, which includes his parents, his sister and, later in the book, his grandparents.

While this book, like most in the series, is paperback, the pages are thicker than usual, feeling like cardstock rather than regular paper. The reason for this is that on each right page, there is a flap to open in order to reveal the "after" portion of a before-and-after scenario. Usually the scene that emerges is of the chaotic variety, such as Little Critter and his sister crashing their sled into a barn full of pigs or Little Critter hopelessly tangling the Christmas lights he's supposed to hang.

Usually I'm not a big fan of the present tense in picture books, but it works for this simply written story and helps emphasize the fact that these are things that Little Critter does every year. It would be interesting if Mayer had introduced a tradition unique to Critters, but it's fine to watch him enjoying all the typical components of an American kid's Christmas celebration, from mailing a letter to Santa to caroling around the neighborhood.

That caroling illustration is one of my favorites, particularly the detail of the caroling books, which promise 1000 carols but don't look more than a few pages long. "Wow!" reads the blurb on the back cover. "You'll just love to sing them!" Apparently the Critters do, anyway, and the lucky folks they visit love to hear them and accordingly invite them in for eggnog.

I also love illustration of Christmas morning, in which we see the gifts given to the Critter kids. These include a variety of boyish toys for Little Critter, most amusingly a Dracula jack-in-the-box, and some that are less exciting, including a Bill Cosby-style sweater that he eyes with the utmost distaste.

The funny, vibrant pictures are the reason to buy Merry Christmas, Little Critter! There's not much of a plot other than the general progression from anticipating Christmas to savoring the day, but Mayer's sense of humor and attention to detail make a merry Christmas for Critter happy reading for the rest of us.

Cleaning Up Isn't a Snap for Little Critter

When I was a little kid watching Mary Poppins for the first time, and then the tenth, I found myself very jealous of Jane and Michael, getting their messy room magically cleaned up by the world's most marvelous nanny. I especially envied Jane, who helped the whole thing happen by snapping her fingers. I was like Michael, standing by feebly, rubbing his fingers together, while his sister had all the fun. Though I knew that bit of magic worked only in movies and books, I think a part of me always suspected that if only I were to somehow acquire the ability to snap my fingers, my room would become magically clean too. I still keep a rather untidy room, and I still can't snap my fingers. Coincidence?

Little Critter sure could use some finger-snapping action in Just a Mess, in which a search for a missing baseball glove leads him in a most unexpected direction: to his room. "I never thought to look in there," he tells us. "What a mess!" That is not an exaggeration. Even I have to say I don't think my room was ever quite as bad as his, with random objects spilling off the bed, peeking out of the closet, tumbling out of the dresser. For such a young fellow, he sure has a lot of stuff. This is a good thing in general, but not when one is trying to make sense out of one's room.

Poor Little Critter is further frustrated when his mom declines to help him clean up the mess and so do his siblings. How can he ever get the job done himself? Well, he's not quite alone; he enjoys the company of a spider and a grasshopper who also appeared in Just For You, the first of the Little Critter books. But other than that, he's on his own with a job few hot-blooded children would be likely to want. Away with the footballs, tennis rackets and trains! Away with the books and the boxes of shmoo! Away with it all! But is this really getting his room clean? And more importantly, will he ever again see his baseball glove?

As a rather hopeless mess maker, I have been in Little Critter's shoes... er, lack thereof... many times. This isn't a terribly didactic tale, since it sometimes subverts the importance of tidiness, but it does show the rewards of trying to organize one's life. For that, Just a Mess is just the book for anyone with a few too many objects cluttering up the floor.

Little Critter, Will You Please Go Now!

When I was little, one of my very favorite books was Dr. Seuss's Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now! In it, a furry little boy named Marvin is presented with a seemingly endless list of options by which to leave, which I always took to mean going to bed, given the fact that he's an obstinate youngster in his pajamas, though the book never comes right out and says it.

In Mercer Mayer's Just Go to Bed, the title leaves little room for doubt as to what is being asked of Little Critter, who's busy imagining all sorts of exciting adventures for himself. Every time his dad tries to get him one step closer to bedtime, he finds inspiration for another flight of fancy.

With his faithful mouse in tow, he practices his lassoing skills, bedecked in snazzy boots, holster, vest and ten-gallon hat; concocts battle plans, eyes steely under his paper hat; vaporizes robots with his ray gun; engineers a locomotive imperiled by bandits. His imaginative rambles are enjoyable, but what I find really entertaining is the way his dad plays along. Instead of just telling him to go to bed or take a bath, he pays attention to his son's current fantasy and uses it to his advantage.

"It's time for the cowboy to come inside," his dad says. "It's time for the general to take a bath." When that gentle persuasion doesn't cause Little Critter to stir, Mr. Critter dons a saucepan hat and, pretending to be a giant robot, abducts the little space man and plops him in the tub. He wears glasses here, which isn't always the case; I think it makes him more endearing. He does look downright intimidating on a couple of pages on which he hollers at his son in aggravation, particularly when the little tyke dresses up in his adorable bunny suit pajamas (which at least are blue instead of pink) and goes hopping around the living room.

Bedtime needn't be such a traumatic experience. This entertaining book is a great one to fall asleep to, and before the little ones Just Go to Bed, they'll get a good dose of imagination and parental affection, the sort of themes bound to lead to sweet dreams.

Little Critter is Clumsy But Considerate in Just For You

Little Critter, that funny little Mercer Mayer creation with the brown, spiny fur, heavily lidded eyes and buck teeth, is older than I am. While I didn't show up until 1981, he made his debut in 1975 with Just For You, an adorable story that feels as though it was written for Mother's Day.

In this first outing, Little Critter is short, pudgy, gnarly-pawed and completely unclothed - except at the very end, when he snuggles into a pair of pajamas after his bath. His mother, by contrast, wears several layers of clothes, so I'm not really sure why Little Critter is running around in the buff, even on a trip to the grocery store. Scandalous!

But boy, he sure is cute, and considerate, too, even if his plans don't always quite work out. Every two-page spread contains one regretful statement by him, complemented by an extra-large illustration of the mishap or by two separate pictures documenting the failure in stages. "I wanted to..." he begins; alas, there's always a "but" to follow.

Little Critter tries so hard to do nice things for his mother, from making breakfast to mowing the lawn, but something always goes wrong. He's too small or too clumsy to perform the task properly or too distracted by something else happening at the moment. Finally, though, before the book ends, he manages to find something he can't mess up.

I've always been a Little Critter fan, and seldom has he been sweeter than he is here. He always looks so contrite, even when what happens is completely accidental. Of course, these are the occasions that tend to make the biggest mess; he gets eggs and broken dishes all over the floor, and when a storm spooks him while he's taking a bath, he floods the bathroom. Poor Little Critter...

Always near him are his faithful companions, a grasshopper and a spider who appear to be his pets. On one page, we also see a frog and a butterfly, and a blue jay shows up a couple of times. Otherwise, it's just his mom, who seems to understand very well that her son is doing his best, even if his attempts do sometimes lead to disaster.

Just For You is a tender and comforting book with bright, detailed illustrations and simple, repetitive text. While Little Critter's clumsiness is sure to raise a chuckle or two, his attentiveness to his mother is inspiring, while his mother's response to his efforts shows that sometimes, it really is the thought that counts.

Little Critter Dreams of Being Not-So-Little

It's right there in his name: Little Critter is a tiny tyke. In Mercer Mayer's When I Get Bigger, he hasn't even hit first grade yet, but he's got big dreams. We see him on the first page, eyes wide, smile expansive, hands behind his back in a clear "I'm going to tell you a story" position. He's unclothed, but on the floor beside him is a blanket, which he presumably just dropped and which we see wrapped around him on a couple of occasions later in the book, when he's not wearing a green-striped t-shirt or some other garment.

Also on the floor is a raggedy stuffed rabbit that he's not quite ready to renounce in spite of his eagerness to be older, and, not on the first page but on most of the others, there's a small gray mouse who keeps Little Critter company throughout the book. It helps that he's not contemplating life as an adult, which is just as well, since Little Critter is stuck more or less in suspended animation; he hasn't aged more than a couple years in three decades. But he does age enough to make a few of the dreams in this book come true.

Little Critter doesn't long for anything too unreasonable, but he anticipates the future with such fervent passion that the simplest of opportunities seem golden through his eyes. He wants to go to the corner store and buy himself candy - something I did for many years when we were fortunate enough to have a Lawson's, and then Dairy Mart, just down the street. He wants hop a bus out of town to visit his grandparents all by himself, dressed in his Sunday best with a nametag attached. I'll confess that I'm 26, and the notion of traveling solo still makes me nervous, though it's something I intend to do at least once this year.

It's a mark of how considerate Little Critter is that some of his dreams involve helping people. He wants to be old enough to tell time so he can announce the time to anyone who happens to need it, and he wants to be just a bit stronger so he can push younger children on the swings at the playground. He's also honest about his limitations. He knows that he's afraid of the dark and things that go bump in the night, so even if he's allowed to camp out all night, he might be a little scared while executing this privilege. He also knows that although he doesn't want to go to bed when his parents tell him to, he's tired, so if they let him stay up to watch a late movie, he would have to struggle to stay awake.

When I Get Bigger is a cute book for children who haven't quite grown into everything they want to do. Parents, meanwhile, will see the near future in Little Critter's daydreams and recognize what a short time will pass before these things can be accomplished. This is a bittersweet notion, but Mayer's style is so charming that closing the book with a smile is a must. It probably won't be too long before the recipient of this story has outgrown Little Critter; it's time to savor the moments.

Little Critter Can Do Some Pretty Big Things

In Mercer Mayer's When I Get Bigger, Little Critter daydreams about all the things he'll be able to do when he's not quite so little. All By Myself is an opportunity for him to show us everything that he can already do, and the list - which is not exhaustive - is pretty impressive.

Little Critter, who in this book sports a green and white-striped shirt and a pair of blue overalls (with one strap apparently missing; it isn't trailing behind him, but it seems like there ought to be another one), wants to make the most of his newly developed abilities. He dresses himself from top to bottom. The shoes are a little tricky, but then tying one's own shoes tends to be the last step in the dressing process that children master.

Throughout the rest of the day, he demonstrates a variety of skills, some more finely tuned than others. In all, there are 19 "I can..." statements, some of which encompass two tasks linked by an "and" or an "or". Some of these abilities are very simple, like playing with a toy truck and rolling around on the ground. Some, like feeding his messy little sister and brushing his teeth without getting toothpaste all over everything, are more complicated. While many of Little Critters activities involve amusing himself, several are geared toward the happiness of his sister, which is a nice touch. She's still just a baby, but her big brother wants to take good care of her. His parents must be proud.

As in many Little Critter books, he has a mouse to keep him company. I'm not entirely clear on whether this is a real mouse or an imaginary friend; he sure is animated for a furry little fellow. While Little Critter is feeding his sister, the mouse pulls out an umbrella. He wears a policeman's outfit and pulls out a STOP sign when Little Critter is vrooming his toy truck around. He takes a ride in the toy sailboat Little Critter propels with his breath, he helps him draw a picture with crayons, he curls up to sleep in one of his shoes. Real or imaginary, this mouse is a wonderful friend to have.

And so is Little Critter. All By Myself is a story about taking responsibility for yourself and others. Mayer's irresistible pictures are full of color and vitality, and the series of easy-to-read statements are perfect for those just adding reading to their own list of newly acquired activities.

Little Critter and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Little Critter is usually a pretty cheerful young fellow, but in Mercer Mayer's I Was So Mad, he's had it with his family, who are always ruining his fun. Poor kid. Not only does he have his mom shattering his designs of keeping a bunch of frogs in the tub, his dad won't let him crawl around inside his little sister's dollhouse. Even his grandparents are giving him a hard time, preventing him from having a good time out in the yard. But when he goes back inside, he faces even more cross words from his parents. "I was so mad!" he fumes. And who can blame him? Under such adverse circumstances, what's a critter to do but head for the hills?

This is a funny and ultimately reassuring book along the lines of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I don't think all the things Little Critter wants to do are really so out of line; it's just the sort of day he's having that everything he does seems to be the wrong thing. Plus, the more he messes up, the more inclined his elders are to be annoyed with him, thus predisposing them to a negative opinion of his activities.

I'm a little disappointed in the severity of his parents and grandparents here. That certainly feeds into his orneriness. In Just For You, his mother never seemed to get too cross when he messed something up. Of course, in that case, he clearly had his mother's best interests at heart, whereas here, his aims are selfish. Still, when she sees all those frogs in the bathtub, she could be a little more understanding. She could laugh and compliment him on his frog-catching ability but calmly explain that the bathroom is no place for frogs. Maybe she did that already and, facing immovable opposition, became exasperated, resulting in the aggravated face we see. But she certainly doesn't come across as very patient here, and neither do the others. Everybody's shouting at him all day - except, of course, for his stalwart mouse companion, who nobody else seems to notice.

After Little Critter gets reprimanded by his grandparents, his mom and dad seem to soften a little, enough to offer some positive suggestions. But by this point he's too ticked off to be interested in playing in the sandbox or sliding down the slide. We see a range of irritated expressions from him in this book; he's a formidable little bundle of rage. He's angry, angry, angry, and his mom seems to expect it when he decides to run away. But will he go through with it? Isn't there anything good about home that could compel him to stay?

I Was So Mad is great for a kid with a case of the grumpies, especially if they're brought on by parental refusal. If Little Critter ever is allowed to grow up, he can make his own rules. Until then, he'll have to satisfy himself with the restrictions placed upon him by those who are older and wiser. Along the way, he may just decide that it's not so bad being a little critter after all. If only he could convince his mom about those frogs...

Forgetful Critter Makes a Mess

I am a forgetful girl. I often forget where I put things, and I forget to do little things I intended to do. Sometimes I forget for days. And sometimes I just avoid things I know I should do, perhaps feigning forgetfulness to myself. Little Critter has both of these problems in Mercer Mayer's I Just Forgot.

"Sometimes I remember, and sometimes I just forget," the book begins. We then go through a day with Little Critter, along with his faithful animal companions, a mouse, a spider and a puppy. The puppy helps him to remember one task he nearly forgets: giving the dog breakfast! On the whole, he's not very attentive to living creatures in this book; he also neglects the plants and the goldfish, figuring they don't need any extra nourishment. Then again, he forgets his own lunch, so I guess food just isn't on his mind much on this particular day.

In addition to hunger, his forgetfulness leads to several messes; he forgets to make his bed, wipe up spilled milk and put on his rain boots. When he intentionally treks to the kitchen while still wearing his boots, since he figures he'll only be a minute, he tracks muddy water though the house and makes an especially big mess. But he sure does look spiffy in that yellow rain slicker. Water is another recurring theme here; his final act of forgetfulness before bedtime is leaving the water running after he gets out of the tub.

Mr. Critter only shows up on one page, on which he wearily regards the tattered remains of his newspaper, which the puppy got to before Little Critter. We don't see his siblings at all, but Mrs. Critter appears throughout the book, offering usually gentle but occasionally harsh reminders as to what he ought to be doing.

Children as naturally forgetful - or neglectful - as Little Critter should get a kick out of this book, which may just encourage them to be a little more vigilant as they go about their daily tasks. Don't forget to check out I Just Forgot!

Toot! Toot! Little Critter Saves the Day!

When I was little, I loved the book Little Toot, but I haven't thought much about tugboats in years, so I got a nice little burst of nostalgia with Mercer Mayer's Just a Tugboat, in which Little Critter imagines himself the captain of an incredibly hardy little tugboat that comes to the rescue again and again.

This particular volume is quite a bit shorter than most Little Critter books, and frankly, I find it a bit boring. I think playing with a tugboat (big enough to accommodate a mouse) in the creek sounds like a very pleasant way for a six-year-old to pass an afternoon, but we don't see much of this actual playing. In fact, we only see it in one two-page spread at the beginning and another at the end.

The middle is taken up by Captain Critter hauling a cruise ship carrying his friends to shore and lugging a great big tanker out to the ocean. That's pretty much it. For one, his boat seems much too small for such tasks. For another, there's really no conflict throughout the story at all. A ship is in distress, and he helps. No muss, no fuss. Not much story either.

What I like best about this book is the variety of marine life. We're treated to pelicans, crabs and seagulls - and that's not a lot, but they're animals we don't see that often, and they're cute. There's also an interesting assortment of creatures on the boat Captain Critter rescues, including giraffes, rabbits and hippos.

But the story is over so quickly, and so little seems to happen (though Critter has saved the day twice in his imagination), Just a Tugboat fails to capture my fancy. Kids going through a boat phase may latch onto Little Critter's enthusiasm; otherwise, you just might want to consider a different book.

This Little Critter Outing Gets Me Down in the Dumps

When my brother Nathan, the youngest in my family, was a toddler, our neighbors had a massive pile of dirt in their yard. I don't recall why the dirt was there, but it seemed it remained for quite a while, and Nathan and our neighbor liked nothing better than to sit on the top of that pile and play together, usually with toy trucks in tow. In Mercer Mayer's Just a Dump Truck, Little Critter and his friends are happy to play in the dirt. They don't have a massive pile like Nathan did, but there's enough stray dirt to build little fortresses with the aid of big toy construction vehicles.

Just a Dump Truck is set up exactly the same way as Just a Tugboat. Instead of playing with boats in the creek, Little Critter and his buddies play with trucks in the dirt. Instead of imagining himself pulling boats in and out of the harbor, Little Critter sees himself driving his dump truck around all day, getting loads of rocks and dirt from his friends in orange diggers and dumping them out at a construction site.

It's all very straightforward and dull. It's odd, but these forays into Little Critter's imagination seem to be the least creative of the series. We get a little bit of insight into how the foundations of homes are built, but other than that, there's just not a whole lot going on in this story. Little Critter pretends to drive a dump truck. In his imagination, he does. Then it's back to the dirt pile with Little Critter playing with his pals again. Not really a lot to chew on there.

Many young children, boys especially, seem to have a fixation on toy trucks; this book might be fun for such truck-loving souls. But it's just a little too boring for my taste.

Little Critter Plus Two Grandparents Equals Big Fun

Growing up, I always got a kick out of Little Critter, the adorable spiky-haired creature Mercer Mayer dreamed up for an extensive series of picture books. I don't think he's supposed to be any particular type of animal, though I suppose he slightly resembles a porcupine. But he is a new species created by Mayer with furry features that make him more endearing but all the personality and trappings of a young boy.

In Bye-Bye, Mom and Dad, we get not only Little Critter but also a hefty dose of his sister and grandparents. His parents have gone away on a trip, so Grandma and Grandpa come to visit while they're away. With typical enthusiasm, Little Critter relates all the highlights of their day, though sometimes his description of events differs from what actually happens according to Mayer's vibrant illustrations - or at least he leaves out or understates some of the sordid details.

For instance, he tells us that when he helped his grandpa do some painting, he spilled the paint "a little"; the illustration shows a bucket of paint knocked over, its yellow contents seeping into the grass in a wide stream. Later, we learn that he gave his grandma a hand with her bowling ball "because it was too heavy"; he manages to lob it over into the next lane, much to the irritation of the other bowlers. My favorite of these slight misrepresentations occurs at the end, however, when Little Critter tells us how he spooked his grandparents so soundly with his story-telling skills that they begged to sleep with him for the night, after checking nervously for monsters in the closet.

While the Critter family is of ambiguous biology, there are several recognizable species that pop up throughout this book. First off, there's the dog, the mouse and the spider that appear on most pages; these are Little Critter's pets, and they generally reflect whatever emotions he is experiencing at the moment. We also see a squirrel in its natural environment. Meanwhile, we get a rhino grocer and a walrus concessions attendant, while fellow theatergoers and bowlers include a hippo, a giraffe, a crocodile, a bear and an elephant.

This is a cute, easy-to-read book. With just a sentence or two per page and so much colorful detail in each of the pictures, early readers should embrace this little fella, his lively sister and his doting grandparents, while adults can appreciate the subtle humor evident in the slight difference between written and visual accounts. When the parents are away, the critter will play; get in on the fun with Bye-Bye, Mom and Dad.

Little Critter is Tired of Being Little

There are several moments in the wonderful but prematurely cancelled Freaks and Geeks in which pipsqueak Sam faces ridicule and even physical threats by several bullies in his school. Though he manages a couple of small victories, the bigger, meaner kids always seem to be lurking on the edges of his school life, waiting to make trouble, so Sam is rather fed up with being so small. So is Little Critter in Mercer Mayer's Just Big Enough.

In this book, Little Critter explores the frustrations many children feel when it seems the world is too big for them. Like Sam, his crisis is brought on by bullies. They take his seat on the bus, eat all the tasty food at lunch and refuse to let Little Critter join their football game at recess. Little Critter is disheartened but determined. He will grow, one way or another.

He tries the normal ways: eating lots of vegetables, doing lots of exercise. But these don't make any noticeable difference, so he goes for a different approach. Inspired by a comic book, he makes what he calls a "growing machine". It's really little more than a cardboard box, but he's convinced that if he spends his day in there he'll end up big enough to stand up to those bullies at school. Will it work? And if it doesn't, how will he ever manage to survive school until his next growth spurt?

Oddly enough, I never was too interested in being bigger. I always wanted to be smaller, especially once I started growing out of the kiddie rides at amusement parks and found it difficult to wriggle my way under the deck or my bed. I didn't have to be told of the advantages inherent in being puny. But Little Critter does, and so do all the other children who wish they could be big and burly overnight. Whether you're too little to do what you want to do or too big, Just Big Enough will help you appreciate your size and use your characteristics to the fullest.

Little Critter Flies High at the Science Fair

I usually dreaded science fairs in elementary school. Not nearly as much as PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science), the life-consuming science project competition that followed in middle school; if I'd known what was coming I might have been more grateful that I could just put together a little display instead of having to come up with a complex investigation that would last several months. But whenever science fair time rolled around, I sweated it, because I've never been very good at coming up with ideas. Maybe it's because I'm so indecisive, or because I'm desperate to do something original. But I always seemed to be the last one in my class to pick a subject for my project.

Little Critter faces such a problem in Mercer Mayer's Just a School Project. It's science fair time, and first he has no ideas, and then, after a stimulating trip to the library, he has too many, none of which seem to work out the way he hopes. I love Little Critter's creativity. He wants to pour his effort into something really worthwhile, like building a rocket that can fly to the moon or digging up dinosaur bones in his yard. Eventually, though, he settles on a more sedate project, one that happens to be close to my heart: caterpillars.

This book provides several interesting facts about caterpillars: They start out as eggs. They eat flowers and leaves. They grow out of their skin. And, of course, they turn into butterflies. What the book fails to mention is how that metamorphosis comes about. Little Critter sticks some caterpillars in a cozy, leaf-lined box; a week later, butterflies of all colors come flying out. Two problems. One, Caterpillars do not turn into butterflies that quickly. Two, there was no room in that little box for cocoons - or even for 20 caterpillars. It's so stuffed with vegetation it seems only one or two caterpillars would fit in there.

Aside from this quibble, Just a School Project is informative and entertaining. The illustrations contain more words than usual, with several amusing signs displayed throughout the book, from the "Soda Pop is Forbidden" sign at the library o the "Learning is Candy for your Mind" sign at the science fair. I also like the way the book chronicles Little Critter's struggles to create an attractive poster, showing us the trouble he has with knowing what size to make his letters and with applying glue without making a mess.

For any child facing a science project, Just a School Project ought to provide that extra burst of motivation.

Little Critter and Cookie Monster: Crusaders For Healthy Eating?

I found myself somewhat annoyed recently when I heard the announcement that Cookie Monster would be renouncing his constant cookie-eating after being taught that cookies are merely "sometimes foods". He would be learning about healthier alternatives, like fruits and vegetables - though I seem to recall several sketches to that end 20 years ago. Go ahead and encourage him to vary his diet a little, but for crying out loud, let him continue to have a name that makes sense. I haven't watched many episodes of Sesame Street since then so I can't really comment on how forcefully this new initiative was enacted. Is the furry, blue, gravel-voiced confection inhaler now the Monster Formerly Known as Cookie? I don't know. But I couldn't help but think of him as I read Mercer Mayer's Good For Me and You.

Little Critter is a fun-loving first-grader of indeterminate species. In this book, his teacher, Miss Kitty, gives the class a lesson in proper eating habits, and it really sinks in for some reason, especially when it's complemented by the gym teacher's emphasis on getting enough exercise. Suddenly, Little Critter is the most overzealous of champions for a healthy lifestyle. He prepares a lunch rich in vegetation for his family. He gets them to join him on a long bike ride. He convinces his friends to forego video games in favor of a rousing game of football. And he can hardly contain his excitement when he learns there's a big race coming up in Critterville.

I'm all for imparting these sorts of practical lessons, but Mayer's books are generally so fun and full of mischief, I found the level of preachiness in this one annoying. Little Critter is a shining model of the way teachers and parents want children to approach exercise and eating habits. He does backslide a little, but not enough to cause any problems or make us doubt his total investment in this diet and exercise regimen. Even when he delays racing practice for a snack, his munchies of choice are grapes, so it's hard to fault him much. Basically, in this book, Little Critter is too perfect. And forgive me, but I'm getting a little tired of chubbiness bordering on being a capital offense in America. You can get away with almost any other vice, but a grain of gluttony, a sliver of sloth, and you're labeled for life. And heaven help those whose metabolism labors against them daily...

Good For Me and You has a worthwhile message, and Mayer's illustrations are just as entertaining as always, so that makes up for the sanctimonious text somewhat. It's a good sort of book to keep in school, perhaps to read to children during story time in order to reinforce a lesson about eating well and exercising. But the heavy-handed approach leads me to believe children won't find it as fun as most Little Critter outings.

A Snow Day Just for Little Critter

Easter is three weeks away, and it's still snowing in Erie. I'm afraid the white stuff is losing its novelty. I'm ready for spring. But those fluffy flakes certainly have merit, especially when you're a youngster and a blanket of white sometimes means a school cancellation. That's what Little Critter and his sister get in Mercer Mayer's Just a Snowman. No school. Just lots and lots of snow.

Critterville is very pretty all covered in snow. It lends itself well to those Currier and Ives-type scenes of children playing in an idyllic winter wonderland, skating on frozen ponds, sledding down pristine hills, lying on the ground to make snow angels. Little Critter is thrilled to have this unexpected day full of fun, and he knows just what he wants to do with it: build a snowman. Except other stuff keeps getting in his way...

Little Critter manages to cram a whole lot of activity into one snow day. After struggling into his snow clothes - and helping his little sister, who struggles even more and reminds me of Ralphie's over-winterized little brother in A Christmas Story - he's Daddy's little helper, digging out the driveway, and then the car. Then his sister initiates a snowball fight with very unfair rules. Then it's time for skating, sledding, snow forts and snow angels with Little Critter's friends. Will he ever get time to make that snowman?

Reading this book makes me regret once again that I haven't done more with this extensive winter we've had. I always loved playing in the snow; now, I love the idea of it but can't quite seem to motivate myself to go out there and build a snow fort or snowman all by myself. Ah, for those long-gone snow days! Mayer's illustrations perfectly capture the excitement and glistening beauty of such an occurrence. I also like the way he slips a little note from the vet onto the table where Little Critter is making hot chocolate, reminding pet owners to keep dogs away from chocolate lest its ingestion prove harmful.

Even if you're a fogey like me who hasn't gone sledding in six years, if you've ever played in the snow, this book should spark pleasant memories. Youngsters who read it will realize - or remember - just how much fun the snow has to offer and may be more inspired to make the most of their next snowy school-free day. It's more than Just a Snowman; it's a wintry entertainment itinerary.