Where Is Pim?

Playing in the park, Pom is helping his friend Pim fly by tossing the stuffed toy into the air, but suddenly Pim flies off when a dog arrives to join in the game.

PreS-Gr 1—A sweet story for young children who believe that stuffed animals have thoughts and feelings—and that adventure is just around the corner. On the very first page, readers cannot suppress a smile while watching a small child, Pom, gleefully toss a pink, four-legged stuffed animal into the air with the simple line, "Pim wants to fly." Before the toy can fall back into Pom's loving arms, a stick and dog interrupt Pim's return trajectory. Pom and a dog begin a determined search for Pim, crawling beneath a park bench and some bushes to find a pink bag and a crumpled can. They even search the fountain, only to find a wet, pink sock—but no Pim. Eventually, a second dog returns carrying the stuffed animal, reuniting Pim and Pom and leading to the simple conclusion: "Pim doesn't want to fly any more today." Young children will enjoy searching the pages for Pim and will be surprised to discover that the story contains two dogs that are mirror images of each other. The illustrations are unique and childlike, effectively conveying Pom's varying emotions as well as the single-minded focus, good nature, and wild abandon of the dogs. VERDICT The text and the illustrations complement each other perfectly, offering a book suited equally well to one-on-one or group sharing.—Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA