Art & Max, written & illustrated by David Wiesner, Clarion, $17.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages. An impetuous young lizard splashes paint on another artist after he misunderstands what it means to paint someone else, then scrambles to try to clean him up with wondrous results. One day, the young lizard, named Max, races into the artist space of a big, imposing lizard named Arthur in the middle of the desert and begs to paint too. At first Arthur dismisses Max's request, but when he sees how downtrodden Max has become, he reluctantly agrees to let him join in. The only problem is, Max has no idea what to paint, so he asks Arthur for help. "Art," as Max calls him, suggests that Max paint him. But Max, being the hasty fellow he is, takes him literally. Before Arthur can yell, "preposterous," Max has coated him in paint. The once-tan lizard is now blue with yellow and orange splotches and is so outraged that he can barely speak.
