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Humorous picture books will amuse the kids

Troll Swap by Leigh Hodgkinson (Somerville, Mass., Nosy Crow) $18 Tabitha Lumpit is one messy little girl and Timothy Limpet is an excruciatingly polite and tidy troll. It is almost as if they were born into the wrong families.

Troll Swap by Leigh Hodgkinson (Somerville, Mass., Nosy Crow) $18

Tabitha Lumpit is one messy little girl and Timothy Limpet is an excruciatingly polite and tidy troll. It is almost as if they were born into the wrong families.

When the two meet by accident and discover their unusual qualities they come up with the brilliant idea of trading places. Both sets of parents are initially thrilled but soon begin to miss their unusual children. And when Tabitha and Timothy also realize that they really don't stand out it becomes apparent that it is time to trade places again.

The message that it is OK to be different and that it is important to accept people for who they are is humorously conveyed in this oversize picture book.

Penguin in Peril by Helen Hancocks (Somerville, Mass., Templar Books) $18

A hilariously gripping picture book thriller about three cats whose fiendish scheme to capture a penguin in order to acquire a fishy dinner goes badly wrong.

The penguin makes a break for freedom and proves to be a master of disguise as he hides in a group of nuns and then with waiters clad in black and white in a restaurant. With the helpful tip from a small bird the penguin makes his way home to the zoo and as for the cats . . . the headline in the Daily News on the last page says it all - "Cat gang foiled. Cats get gruel for life."

Robot Burp Head Smartypants! by Annette Simon (Somerville, Mass., Candlewick Press) $19

The two robot pals from Robot Zombie Frankenstein are back and as competitive as ever. The game involves drinking motor oil and succeeding in burping the longest sequence of numbers and letters of the alphabet. The action is hot and heavy until a mere baby manages to shame them with a truly stupendous burp after guzzling her bottle.

Low-brow humour at its finest and the expressions on the robot faces are priceless. Read this only if you are prepared to hear some resounding noises from the book's audience.

The End (Almost) by Jim Benton (New York, Scholastic) $18.99

An imagined dialogue between author and Donut the bear gets a bit heated as Donut expresses his displeasure at the brevity of the story about him. He has a point as the story consists of two short sentences! Donut is persistent in his demands even after being told to go home - he attempts a lame disguise and when that fails he tries, unsuccessfully, to sneak back.

He wins in the end as a worn-down author tells him a slightly longer tale and assures him he can read it again. A win-win situation for Donut!

Fran Ashdown was the head of the children's department at the Capilano branch of the North Vancouver District Public Library. Unlike her children, she is not talented enough to burp the alphabet. For more information check your local libraries.