BILL IN A CHINA SHOP

The title sets up the funny premise as Bill, a bull, collects china cups, but his size and clumsiness create havoc in china shops. When he finds a store without a “Bulls Keep Out” sign and a cup that he can’t do without, disaster ensues. Three tottering ladies save him from crashing disgrace and to thank them, he invites them to tea. The rhyming text of two- and three-line stanzas has humorous moments but it’s the pen-ink-and-watercolor illustrations that ping with panache: finely detailed, cross-hatched dishes and Bill in a morning coat, striped trousers, top hat, and bow tie. Though kids will not likely know the expression, there is a note about it on the verso, and the depiction of Bill’s hulk amid the fragile china will imprint the meaning. The ending clinks some and in one illustration a key object falls into the page gutter, but as the appealing cover promises, Bill has more charm than bull. (Picture book. 5-7)