cover image Lulu & Flying Babies

Lulu & Flying Babies

Posy Simmonds. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $9.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-394-89597-0

Lulu, a strong-willed toddler, wants to play in the snow; she does not want to go into the art museum with her father, and she makes her feelings all too loudly known. Left to recover her good humor in the museum's foyer while the others go off to view the exhibits, Lulu is taken under the wingsliterallyof two cherubs, one who glides out of a painting and another who comes to life from marble form. The ``flying babies'' take Lulu on a most unusual tour of the museum, swooping in and out of paintings and sampling a variety of landscapes and climates as they go. The creator of Fred , Simmonds spins a lighthearted fantasy, presented in cartoon panels that enhance the story's pacing and surprises. From Lulu's initial, recalcitrant expression to the reactions of the figures in the paintings the cherubs drop in on, whimsical touches abound, offering readers a rousing good time. Ages 5-10. (Oct.)