cover image For Strawberry Jam or Fireflies

For Strawberry Jam or Fireflies

Gail Hartman. Bradbury Press, $12.95 (28pp) ISBN 978-0-02-742990-9

Household objects are assigned duo purposes (in the title, a jar), sometimes strictly functional and other times, serving as children's playthings. ``A big tire / for rolling down the road / or swinging from the tree / . . . A wooden spoon / for mixing cookies / or tapping a tune.'' This will be familiar territory for most readers, who often use found objects in creative ways. The first part of the text, naming the object, is framed by art, and the two uses are depicted in the spreads. Although Weiss provides some whimsical touches, her illustrations adhere to the text absolutely--in watercolor and colored pencil, she works strictly within the boundaries of the concept. Ages 1-4. (Aug.)