I Want It! [I Like to Read]
by Paul Meisel; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Holiday    32 pp.
4/25    9780823458882    $15.99

Geisel honoree Meisel (for I See a Cat and See Me Run) tells an amusing story of sibling rivalry in cartoons and minimalist speech-bubble dialogue. Before the main text begins, the younger sibling previews the story line with the shout, “I WANT IT!” On the title page, the smiling older sibling saunters in carrying a box overflowing with toys: “Mine.” In just those four words and two images, readers will understand the power dynamic. Meisel’s jaunty pen-and-ink drawings zero in on the plot, while the text maximizes the repetition of simple words. The older sibling plays with vehicles and a superhero action figure in a series of spot illustrations: “Go. Goal. Here I go. Go, go, go.” When the younger sib starts playing with a car the older one isn’t using (“Beep”), the older sibling jumps in (“Mine”). They scuffle over a blue dragon and a stuffed bunny (“I WANT IT. I WANT IT. I WANT IT”) before reaching a compromise. Meisel packs an impressive amount of activity and emotion into a handful of speech bubbles and images in this enjoyable beginning reader.

From the ">May/June 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.