The Coolest Place in Town

Caple perfectly portrays the common childhood experiences of ``melting'' on what is surely the summer's hottest day and, even more frustrating, of being pushed around by a bossy older sibling. Hal and Zoey think they have escaped the heat by lugging out their old wading pool. They remain impervious to sister Dory's teasing (``Look at the babies!''), but Dory, knowing a good thing when she sees it, soon tricks them out of the pool and settles in, seemingly immovable--until the boys come up with a wily plan that routs Dory and lets them keep their cool. Children will sympathize with the boys' predicament and relish their deft piercing of Dory's maddeningly superior, blase pose. Caple's snappy dialogue, her simple but clever plot, and her winsome hippo characters have the direct childlike appeal of Marc Brown's Arthur books and James Marshall's George and Martha. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)