ON THE WAY TO KINDERGARTEN

This cute-as-a-button cub has achieved a lot on his way to kindergarten. Not, as the title seems to indicate, on a meandering walk to the schoolyard, but rather over the five years leading up to his exciting entrée. From newborn forward, the snappy, rhyming text extols milestones such as, to start with, burping and crying. But at one year the cub is pulling himself up and trying to eat ants. Later he’s learning to pedal a tricycle, drawing, brushing his own teeth, singing the ABC song and dancing along, buckling his own seat belt and paddling the length of the pool. Careful observers will watch for the cub’s unmentioned mouse pal on every page. The oil pastels give vibrancy and soft lines to the action populated by an array of adorable young animals. The simple buoyancy of the text will help create positive anticipation for starting school. For toddlers, each of the cub’s successes is something to aim for, and older kids can applaud how far they have come themselves. (Picture book. 3-5)