The engaging toddler rabbit is back, clad in tattered, paint-smeared, but dearly loved old blue pants. Draconian older sister Ruby drags him to the store for new ones, but Max, insistent as ever, only has eyes for a green shirt featuring a fire-breathing dragon. When Ruby spies first one dress and then another that she loves, the two become separated, and the search that follows is a true comedy of errors. Winsome but willful Max gets his heart's desire, and once again Ruby is deflated, giving young readers and listeners the vicarious satisfaction of besting an older sibling. The text reads well aloud, but is easy enough for beginning readers, who will soon notice that while Ruby gives her orders, Max's vocabulary is limited to one telling line repeated throughout: "Dragon shirt." Wells uses more background, more detail here than in previous "Max" stories, artfully capturing the hustle-bustle of a busy department store. Another gleeful romp with a pair of unforgettable hares. - Trev Jones, School Library Journal Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.