Tallulah in the Kitchen

Young readers interested in cooking will gobble up this picture book, which teaches the culinary basic every child should know: how to whip up ""Amazing Blueberryalicious Pancakes."" Tallulah, a flapjack-obsessed feline, and her merry band of animal sous-chefs walk kids through the process-shopping for ingredients, measuring, flipping the pancakes and eating. Writing with not a little cheek, Wolff (This Little Piggy's Book of Manners) peppers the pages with helpful hints (""Lumps are okay""; ""Never sneeze directly into the batter""), safety tips (""Don't even think about cooking in the kitchen without an adult at your side"") and zany dialogue (""I give it a 9.5,"" a character says of Tallulah's flipping form. ""Her wrist was a little limp""). The gouache illustrations, executed in an electric color palette, ratchet up the book's delicious mix of jokes and instruction. In addition to bold patterns and a bouncy typeface, she tosses in pieces of newsprint covered with a thin wash of paint. Readers will still be inspired to flip some 'cakes, and would do well to heed Wolff's warning: ""Caution: Try not to read this book on an empty stomach."" Ages 4-7.