THE THINGS I CAN DO

With boundless energy and bouncing rhyme, a boy shows readers his handmade book—this book—about his burgeoning independence.

From making his own lunch and getting his own drink (milk spills down the page), to bathing in the sink and fixing toys with a lake of glue, this boy’s on a hilarious tear. Self-portraits race across the spreads, outlined in bold, black crayon. The boy’s head and ears evoke Charlie Brown. He’s always in motion, and every supply in the house seems to have been commandeered for this project. The multilayered, multimedia collage makes things look real enough to touch (and readers will try): pencils and Popsicle sticks, Legos and paper towels, circular confetti from a hole punch, construction paper and shiny paper and graph paper—and appearing most touchable of all, liberal amounts of cellophane tape, masking tape, duct tape and stickers. Bits of photo stand out amid the childlike art—the spray attachment on a faucet and the boy’s teeth while he’s brushing them (though not the rest of his face). “I can brush my own teeth. / I can pick out my clothes. // This sweater was perfect!!! / For wiping my nose.” A drop of snot (plenty big enough to be seen from a distance) and the underwear on his head will be popular.

Rowdy and infectious: Fetch tape and crayons.