From the Ready-to-Read series that includes See Otto (2002) and Ride Otto Ride! (2002), this very simple book introduces a little mouse named Pip. See Pip. See Pip point begins the text. When Pip sees Otto's purple helium balloon, he points at it repeatedly until Otto politely hands it over. The balloon quickly lifts lightweight Pip into the air. A bee accidentally runs into the balloon and pops it, but Otto flies by in a clunky wooden airplane and saves Pip. Unfortunately, the plane crashes into a tree, and Otto and Pip splash into a pond beside a couple of hippos. The little one holds a red balloon. See Pip point the text concludes, implying a continuing story beyond the last page. The illustrations, large in scale and clearly delineated against white backgrounds, feature particularly expressive characters. Using a very few short words, plenty of action, and droll humor, Milgrim creates a book that even beginners will enjoy reading. Read-aloud fun for those not ready to read, too.

Pip the mouse wants robot Otto's balloon. Because Pip is so light, the balloon floats away with him. A bee pops the balloon, and with Pip plummeting toward Earth, Otto mounts a daring, semi-successful rescue. Using a thick black line, Milgrim deftly illustrates this simple and amusing story for beginning readers.

In his third beginning reader about Otto the robot, Milgrim ( See Otto , 2002, etc.) introduces another new friend for Otto, a little mouse named Pip. The simple plot involves a large balloon that Otto kindly shares with Pip after the mouse has a rather funny pointing attack. (Pip seems to be in that I-point-and-I-want-it phase common with one-year-olds.) The big purple balloon is large enough to carry Pip up and away over the clouds, until Pip runs into Zee the bee. ("Oops, there goes Pip.") Otto flies a plane up to rescue Pip ("Hurry, Otto, Hurry"), but they crash (and splash) in front of some hippos with another big balloon, and the story ends as it begins, with a droll "See Pip point." Milgrim again succeeds in the difficult challenge of creating a real, funny story with just a few simple words. His illustrations utilize lots of motion and basic geometric shapes with heavy black outlines, all against pastel backgrounds with text set in an extra-large typeface. Emergent readers will like the humor in little Pip's pointed requests, and more engaging adventures for Otto and Pip will be welcome additions to the limited selection of funny stories for children just beginning to read. (Easy reader. 5-7)