You Can't Catch Me!

When an older brother and sister take their kid brother to the playground to play on the jungle gym, the boy ima-gines himself in a real jungle with his toy monkey as his companion. ``You can't catch me!'' he exclaims to the wild animals, and proceeds to escape snarling alligators and a stampede of sundry beasts. He arrives home safely, of course, having finally allowed his siblings to catch up with him. The mixed-media collages by first-time artist Collis turn this book into an imaginative romp. Using the boy's lively fantasies as a springboard for her vibrant artwork, she creates scene after jaunty scene out of paper, felt and string. The crisp and colorful collages provide a lively sensation of movement as the entire jungle chases after boy and monkey. Even the simple text is energetically forward-moving in this fresh depiction of one of childhood's earliest imagination games. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)