OLIVER’S MILK SHAKE

This fine third Oliver title from French and Bartlett (Oliver’s Fruit Salad, 1998, etc.) again takes up the themes of exploration and good times in the world of food. Here, Oliver’s aunt is aghast to find him slurping orange soda for breakfast. He tries to explain, but his aunt cuts him off: “ ‘You don’t like milk!’ . . . ‘What you need is one of my yummy milk shakes.’ ” So Aunt Jen, Cousin Lily, and Oliver shuffle off to a farm to gather the makings of a milkshake and a fun day. They meet roosters, pigs, cows, lambs, and goats; with each meeting they reel out a little bit more of their milkshake description, from “yummy scrummy fruity milk shake” to “yummy scrummy fruity frothy icy nicy tip-top tasty dreamy creamy milk shake.” Then Aunt Jen learns that Oliver actually does like milk—he had just grabbed the orange soda because he had used all the milk on his cereal—but milkshakes have his attention now. Big moon heads, paint-box bright colors, a somewhat child-like smeary gouache medium, and a feather-light story will grab and hold the attention of the youngest readers and surely inspire a trip to a farm. (Picture book. 3-6)