Carnegie's Excuse

This extravagant tale is balm for the soul of any child who has become embroiled in the complex logistics of having told a ``real whopper.'' When Carnegie is late for school--``again''--she takes a deep breath before launching into an explanation. The youngster, it seems, took part in an all-night mission that involved a tiger, a blue shark, a big gorilla and some bumper cars. After a miserable day of not being believed, Carnegie is vindicated when her newfound friends drop her off at school the next day. The conclusion here is all that any prevaricator, professional or otherwise, could hope for. O'Donnell ( Pinkie Leaves Home ; Dizzy ) playfully guides his audience through the intricacies of his heroine's imagination via full spreads of wet on wet watercolor sprinkled with gritty wax resist images that exhibit sophistication and a guileless sense of wonder at the same time. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)