Product Review

The title story is about a scheduling conflict for young pals Kenny and Lynnie, who share a birthday. Each wants a party with the same guests, and each gets disheartened by the difficulty of getting what they want. It's up to helpful Hilda Hippo and Lowly Worm to resolve the problem. This fun tale about cooperation and sharing has a happy ending. There's also "Martha's First Book," one of the occasional historical stories in the Scarry line. Set in the 1400s, this story finds little Martha, an illiterate German girl, so desperate to read that she helps create the first printing press. Finally, "Locked Out" is a classic misadventure involving the catastrophic Mr. Frumble, a pleasant fellow who simply can't go five minutes without creating a disaster. The sustained slapstick is very funny as Frumble attempts to get into his locked house through a series of demolition strategies. --Tom Keogh