JANET'S THINGAMAJIGS

Twins Jimmy and Janet are back with an ongoing squabble, eventually solved by the arrival of full-size beds. The Thingamajigs are miscellaneous small objects—paper clip, bead. spool—collected by Four-year-old Janet and fiercely defended against her twin in the age old rite of "This-is-precious-only-because-you-can't-touch-it-because-it's-mine!" Each new batch is packaged in a paper bag and stored in Janet's crib till she rustles "like a mouse in a wastepaper basket." But the arrival of grown-up beds convinces both that they're too big to play with "little junk," and peace is restored. Cleary tells this parable of the ways of small children and the great world with deft humor and a sure ear for kids' banter and their parents' practiced diplomacy. The softly colored, realistic illustrations neatly catch the spirit of this slice of real life.