The Runaway Ball — Bobbi Katz

This pop-up story follows a bright red ball ``with a mind of its own,'' as it pushes a little girl into a pond, plugs up a musician's tuba, knocks a boy off his bike, smashes an ice-cream stand, frightens birds from the bushes, andfinallydecides to behave. All of this is meant to be humorous, but the outdated illustrations and the uninspired verse add up to a rather dull adventure. (48)