Summer vacation gets off to a rough start when Mom insists that Pistachio take her little sister Penny to the park. As she pulls Penny along in a wagon, Pistachio lets her mind wander off. Big mistake. Unsupervised, Penny pinches fruit from the grocer's stand, wades in the park fountain, and climbs over a wall into scary Mrs. Oldtooth's garden. What could possibly make Pistachio volunteer for babysitting the next day? A little exaggerated for dramatic and comic effect, the story is nonetheless enjoyable, while lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations brighten every page. This early reader book continues the broad theme of sibling relationships that runs through Gay's work from the Stella and Sam picture books to the Travels with My Family middle-grade series.

Gr 1-3 It is the first day of summer vacation, and Pistachio has big plans with her friends. There are caverns to explore in the cemetery! But Pistachio's plans are thwarted when her mom tells her she must take her baby sister Penny to the park instead. A grumpy Pistachio and an exuberant Penny, wearing a superman cape and bunny ears, no less, head off to the parkand a series of mishaps happen along the way. This entertaining transitional reader is perfectly suited for children ready to try chapter books. Translated from French, the text is rollicking and descriptive, offering strong vocabulary words such as careens, ecstatic , and flabbergasted . Gay's pen-and-ink illustrations are awash with soft watercolors in blues, purples, and warm yellows, allowing Pistachio's orange hair to pop off the pages. Penny is the perfect complement to Pistachiofull of energy and a daredevil side that keeps her big sister on her toes at all times. VERDICT Fans of other high-spirited girl characters like Junie B. Jones and Clementine will fall in love with Princess Pistachio.— Lisa Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY