Published: April 1, 2000

Noteworthy

THE TWO BULLIES, by Junko Morimoto. (Crown, $17; grades K-2.) Morimoto, a Japanese writer and illustrator, gives us a witty tale of two enormous strongmen—one from Japan, the other from China—each itching to prove that he can beat up the other. Big on bluster but short on brains, the two bullies scare each other away before their face-off. The story, adapted and translated from a Japanese tale, will grab kids' attention, but be warned: Morimoto's hilarious watercolors will have them rolling in the aisles. This little volume won picture-book-of-the-year honors in Australia,...