"When daddies want to be left in peace, they don't pay too much attention to what you do," observes the ironic narrator of Very Tricky, Alfie Atkins, and sure enough, when Daddy wants to read the newspaper, five-year-old Alfie Atkins manages to finagle permission to play with his tool-box. Except for the saw, of course! And so begins a hilarious little drama, in which Alfie constructs a "helicopter" for himself under the nose of his inattentive father, who is eventually persuaded to join in the fun!

Young readers will relish the juxtaposition of Daddy's absent-minded prohibitions against using the saw with Alfie's various mishaps, and adults will appreciate the fact that even loving parents don't always pay attention when they should. My second Alfie book, following on Good Night, Alfie Atkins, this gives me a better sense of Bergström's quirky sense of humor. I continue to find her 1970s-style illustrations unappealing, but the narrative is entertaining enough to compensate for them. An engaging picture-book for younger children, it is especially welcome because it concentrates on a healthy, loving father-son relationship, something the genre could use more of, I think. ( )