MY MOM'S PURSE Charlotte Hutchinson Illustrations by Kathy R. Kaulbach Windsor (Ont.), Black Moss Press, 1991. 28pp, paper, $4.95 ISBN 0-88753-199-7. Distributed by Firefly Books. CIP Pre-school to Grade 3/Ages 3 to 8 Reviewed by Lorrie Anne Clark Volume 20 Number 2 1992 March This amusing book will delight young listeners as well as the adult who reads it aloud to them. My Mom's Purse is a cleverly constructed alphabet book. The story revolves around a son telling what his mother stashes in her purse, and he does it in alphabetical order. His mother is raising a family of five children and therefore most of the materials in her purse belong to the children. Items found in her purse include band-aids, diapers, combs, hairpins, kleenex, pencils, a soother, a large umbrella and even a xylophone to keep her young daughter amused. Very few of the items belong to the mom with the exception of a wallet, lipstick and valentine card from her husband. Any purse-carrying mother can easily relate to this story. The illustrations complement the text and illustrate well the busy contents of the mother's purse. Each letter of the alphabet is cleverly incorporated on each page as part of the picture story. The letters arc not left to stand alone. One annoying concern is that the verso page is opposite the start of the story. This gives the impression of a shortage of paper and, as a result, the story pages seem tramped. This imaginative story is worth a read and could be used as a clever alphabet lesson for any teacher or parent with a large purse. Lorrie Anne Clark, Lloyd George School, Hamilton, Ont.