The cutest thing ever

"Want to see the cutest thing ever?" asks an excited purple bat clad in a black sweater and blue pants. A three-eyed yellow monster with pink freckles and four feet waves from the next page, but the purple bat has had a critical change of heart: "Okay, I guess it could be cuter." Ramping up the silliness with each page turn ("How about two kittens wearing hats inside of another hat! That a cute monster is wearing! And they're riding a unicorn!!!"), Ignatow (the Popularity Papers series) hurdles young readers through a whimsical journey, while Pan's dynamic illustrations--featuring rounded creatures against blank, candy-colored backgrounds--heighten the cuteness factor. Is it more adorable, for example, to add "a parade of koala bears" dancing and playing various instruments or, perhaps, pink bunny astronauts? In an interactive final surprise, a mirror held by the colorful cast of creatures reveals the cutest image of all: the book's reader. Ages 3--5. (Sept.)

There is a curious, implied question in the title: What is "the cutest thing ever"?A tiny, purple bat thinks it knows the answer. But it needs to check in with readers to make sure. The winged narrator asks them directly, "Want to see the cutest thing ever?" A page turn reveals a cloudlike creature with three eyes, a smattering of freckles, and five stubby legs. "It's a cute monster!" Anticipating the audience's disappointment, the bat concedes, "Okay, I guess it could be cuter." The next attempt shows the cute monster witha kitten! (Wearing a bow tie, which does make any kitten extra-cute.) The bat hurries to add, "Or maybe // A monster with two kittens!" Perhaps adding hats and then a unicorn will help too. The bat, getting more and more desperate to impress, adds a "rainbow road" as well as "a parade of koala bears" and more silliness, culminating in a full-spread scene exploding with cuteness. But is it the cutest thing ever? The bat, with rainbow perspiration droplets and wings stretched out wide, has one more idea. The final page turn just might reveal the cutest yetand will certainly make readers shout in gleeful recognition. While there's not much beyond the dizzying piling on of cuteness, there's no questioning that it is, well, cute.Slim but fun. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.