WALDO'S BACK YARD Shirley Day. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 1984. unpaged, paper, $4.95. ISBN 0-920236-73-1. paperbound boards, $10.95. ISBN 0-920236-90-1. CIP. Preschool / Ages 3-5 Reviewed by Bessie Condos Egan. Volume 12 Number 4 1984 July A quiet picture story with a definite message that will provide reassurance to children who must cope with an emergency situation. Waldo, a young boy with a messy yard, provides his neighbour, Mr. Tester, with a series of anxiety attacks by having a yard filled with boards, trenches, lion traps, a tree house, etc. When Mr. Tester suffers a heart attack and Waldo falls into his self-made lion trap, Elizabeth saves the day by calling an emergency telephone number. The story is neatly resolved when Mr. Tester learns to appreciate the children and joins them in a backyard game. Day, author of Ruthie's Big Tree, provides a text that is a blend of narrative and dialogue. Illustrations, which are colour and black and white drawings, reinforce the text. Children will readily identify with Waldo and Elizabeth and their story. A comforting book that shows children and seniors interacting. Bessie Condos Egan, Winnipeg P.L., Winnipeg, MB.