cover image Uncle Albert's Flying Birthday

Uncle Albert's Flying Birthday

Sarah Wilson. Simon & Schuster, $13.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-671-72793-2

Jennifer Justine and brother William are sick and tired of taking baths, and even though they are about to celebrate Uncle Albert's birthday, ``the family decided just to pretend that the children were clean.'' Across town a sleepy baker mixes the ingredients for Uncle Albert's cake, unwittingly substituting soap powder for flour. The ensuing birthday party takes on unusual proportions when the revelers are overcome by the combination of soap-filled cake and lots of lemonade. Belching bubbles, the airborne guests float over the pastel countryside until they come to rest in a--quickly sudsy--pond. This Poppinsesque romp is appropriately Victorian in both its tongue-in-cheek story line and visual appeal. The playful complacency of the children's family and the gently humorous pictures are sure to soothe bath resisters everywhere. Ages 4-8. (June)