BISCUIT WANTS TO PLAY

Golden-brown puppy Biscuit seems to have arrived at superstar status: a stack of related easy-reader titles about the puppy's activities and holidays, four more titles for spring 2001, and over a million Biscuit books in print. (Can the plush toy and animated TV series be far behind?) Capucilli (Biscuit's New Trick, 2000, etc.) has written another simple story about her cavorting canine, this time about his discovery of two playful kittens. Biscuit tries to get them to play puppy-style with a ball or a stick, but the kittens are more interested in chasing insects. The story ends with the kittens still chasing a butterfly, and Biscuit following after his new friends. This entry in the My First I Can Read series is at the emergent level for the newest readers, with simple, repetitive vocabulary and just a few words in large type on each page. The story line is necessarily simplistic due to the format requirements, but there is a clear plot with a subtle lesson about joining into play with others. Biscuit is a charming little fellow, like most puppies, and Schories captures his puppy antics with her conventional illustrations in pen and ink with a watercolor wash. One welcome touch in this series is the gender of Biscuit's owner, a dark-haired little girl (rather than the usual male main character in most easy reader series), joined here by her friend, an Asian girl. Traditional and sweet, just like homemade buttermilk biscuits with honey. (Easy reader. 4-7)