FOUR BOYS NAMED JORDAN

What price faddish baby-naming? Readers of every generation will be nodding in recognition at this third-grader’s rhymed plaint that there are not one, not two, not three, but four lads named Jordan in her class: “Say, ‘Jordan pass the scissors,’ and you’ll end up with four pairs. / Say, ‘Jordan, there’s a test today.’ Four voices say, ‘Who cares?’ ” Emphasizing emotional tone over action, King creates colorful, canted school scenes dominated by wide, small-featured faces exhibiting a range of expressions. As a final zinger, the frizzy-haired narrator’s fear of a “Jordan nation” takes a turn toward realization when a new child comes in: “Her name? You’ll never guess.” Required reading for prospective parents. (Picture book. 6-8)