Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today?

K-Gr 1—This concept book meets comic is an excellent addition for beginning readers. A follow-up to Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons (Toon Bks., 2008), it is arranged around the days of the week. Lilly sets the course on the first spread, announcing, "Every day is a new day to play." What follows is a series of seven-panel vignettes full of gentle humor and familiar situations, one for each day. A subtle theme of empowerment runs throughout as the girl confidently enacts a variety of roles, from the decidedly grown-up city planner and teacher to the less-serious candy taster and vampire. Almost all of the text appears in word bubbles written at a very basic vocabulary level in simple sentences. The India ink and watercolor cartoon illustrations are clear, with white backgrounds to keep the scenes uncluttered. The panel layouts are as basic as they come—two per page—resulting in a comic-book reading experience that works for very young children. A fine example of a book that knows its audience, Silly Lilly is bound to tickle readers.—Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI