GUESS WHO'S COMING, JESSE BEAR

Writing in simple, almost conversational verse and varying the meter to avoid singsong, Carlstrom brings her irrepressible young bear back for a seventh appearance, this one built around the days of the week. Initially dismayed to learn that bossy cousin Sara is coming to visit, Jesse finds being with her—one day in the water, another in the attic dressing up, then playing school, skating, and so on—to be more fun than he expects, as he's now old enough (usually) to give as good as he gets. Predictably, by the end of the week, they're both sorry that the visit is over. As usual, Degen poses smiling, clothed bears in comfortable, uniformly lit rooms, simplifying backgrounds to present an uncluttered appearance and to leave room for occasional dialogue balloons. Although this book is not as edgy and gleeful as Kevin Henkes's A Weekend with Wendell (1986), Carlstrom has developed a winning formula for painlessly introducing young preschoolers to basic skills and information. (Picture book. 7-9)