JACK AND JILL

Jack and Jill get plenty of exercise toiling up and down that hill in this considerably extended version of the nursery rhyme. The well, it turns out, is guarded by a crocodile who won’t give out water—but will grant wishes in exchange for a hearty meal. Off go J & J to earn a ham from the butcher. Though Jill’s canny wish for a plumber to fix the broken sink back at the house backfires—“ ‘First,’ he said to Jack and Jill, / ‘I’ll check your pipes for leaks. / With any luck, I’ll have it fixed / in just a couple weeks!’ ‘Weeks?’ ”—her second try changes the croc into her disappeared Dad, who promises to fix the sink right after lunch. Doll-like figures with big blue eyes adorn Kirk’s grainy colored-pencil scenes. The bandwagon’s getting crowded with folklore takeoffs, but this deserves a spot on board for its faintly surreal air. (Picture book. 7-9)