Boing Boing by Anne Peltola Ages 4-8 32 pages Enchanted Lion April 2009 Hardcover     In this colorful little book, a young girl draws a picture of a beautiful red ball that she names “Boing Boing.” The picture makes everyone laugh so hard that Boing Boing bounces up into the sky before a gray cloud stops it and makes it fall back to earth. Boing Boing has a whole series of adventures back on the ground, from being used a spare tire by a vacationing wolf and as a round (if tricky) plate by a cat to acting as a balloon toy by two sheep. Finally, Boing Boing becomes tired and wants to go home. A thoughtful bear and a letter marked “HOME” (with a blueberry for a stamp) make sure that Boing Boing is safely on his way back home to a waiting little girl. This is a whimsical tale about a young girl’s imagination and about a safe place for a child (or ball) to call home after a long day’s adventures. The collage illustrations are vibrant and colorful. The text is a bit choppy in places, though, suggesting that something was lost in the translation from the original Finnish into English.     web reviews   Usha Reynolds/2009 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)