THINGS THAT ARE MOST IN THE WORLD
by Judi Barrett & illustrated by John Nickle
Goofy superlatives are showcased in this book from Barrett, some clever, some slightly mawkish, all shaped by a particular brand of humor that will either work for readers or leave them flat. For example: ``The quietest thing in the world is a worm chewing peanut butter'' has the ring of inspiration to it, whereas ``the silliest thing in the world is a chicken in a frog costume'' won't tickle everyone's funny bone. ``The heaviest thing in the world is a Tyrannosaurus rex weighing itself'' is just plain confusing, as is the art that accompanies the ``teensie-weensiest'' thing—a newborn flea; when scaled against the watchband in Nickle's vibrant illustration, the flea is not so small, and its mother is enormous. The least successful statements are those that run to nonsense; the most successful are the ones based in a grain of truth: Most readers will agree with the poetic notion that the ``the highest thing in the world is the very top of the sky.'' (Picture book. 3-7)