K-Gr 2— Timothy Smallbeast longs to be big and strong, so he drinks "fortified" milk, exercises, and "thinks STRONG thoughts." However, it is only when he wears his favorite pajamas, repaired by his mother with "PATCHES of POWER and the BUTTONS of BRAVENESS," that Timothy becomes the superhero of his dreams. Using his abilities, he catches a falling elephant, carries a mountain of packages for an elderly woman, rescues a princess, rights a sinking ship, drags an alligator back to the zoo, and carries a huge bear into the "deep dark forest." When he tries to pull his sock monkey from under the sleeping bear, though, his pajamas rip and his power disappears. But never fear—all those recipients of his help now come to Timothy's aid and deliver him and his stuffed toy safely back home. The watercolor illustrations vary from small vignettes, to vertical and horizontal paneled scenes, to full pages and spreads. Especially dynamic are the depictions of tiny Timothy carrying a bear so huge that he encompasses two pages, and the close-up rip of his pajamas (you can almost hear the material tear) as he tries to pull sock monkey from under the bear's giant paw. Youngsters who long to be strong and powerful will enter into this fantasy with gusto.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT