The new democracy /

Yet another youngster's late-to-school tall tale--cunningly if slickly pictured. Some people, that is, will find the tufty-haired, red-bespectacled, yellow-booted narrator adorable, while the polar bear coolly mimicking the motions of the school crossing-guard is pretty funny. But toy-village cute is what the scenes become as little boy tarries with earthworm and ant and pony--and straight out of the let's-imagine patternbook is what most of it is, to the end: little boy, telling story to skeptical teacher, sees pony outside. Ersatz--but proficiently so. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.