Joey's Head

Gr 1-3-- More a monologue on bothersome little brothers than a story, Cretan's mild fantasy may amuse some but will surely bore others. Mike is stuck minding his little brother everyday ``for two whole hours before Mom gets home.'' Joey's pesky personality is not well developed and Mike's complaints aren't well founded. Only one incident is detailed in verification of the younger boy's ability to be a real pain--he rearranges Mike's baseball card collection. Mike stomps into the kitchen and concocts a potion out of everything in sight. Joey drinks it and his head disappears. As the events become more outrageous, the behavior of the boys and their friends becomes more believable. Sims's realistic full-color illustrations lend credibility to the text and provide clarifying details. Newly independent readers will find the author's style less appealing and more difficult than the dialogue-driven prose of Patricia Reilly Giff, William H. Hooks, Ann Cameron, Clyde Robert Bulla, and other writers for this age group. Those who are beyond beginning chapter books will find Roald Dahl's George's Marvelous Medicine (Knopf, 1982) infinitely more satisfying. --Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schools, IA