cover image Touch! Touch!

Touch! Touch!

Riki Levinson. Dutton Books, $7.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-525-44309-4

Toddlers love to explore the world around them, and the irrepressible star of this picture book is no exception. Standing on an overturned stock pot, the impish child sets off a chain reaction by touching (pulling!) the cat's tail. ""Touch cat''the cat jumps up, knocking cake batter onto the floor. ``Touch dog''the dog, who now has its paws and nose in the batter, jumps up on the child's sister. And so it goes``Touch sister,'' ``Touch brother''until the entire family is sticky from head to toe. Levinson (I Go with My Family to Grandma's, Watch the Stars Come Out tells a humorous, true-to-life story about toddlers and their uncanny ability to cause havoc in just a few seconds. Kelley's pen-and-wash illustrations add spontaneity and depth to the minimal text. Ages 13. (April)