Fast Friends

A familiar story and intermittently promising illustrations characterize this debut work, winner of the publisher's first Dr. Seuss Picture Book Award. Leaving his farm to ``make his way in the world,'' a purple-spotted cow named Blueberry Sprig flicks his tail to ``thwak'' a bothersome fly on his back just as Smithfield, a dapper chameleon, passes by and catches the bug with his long tongue. Realizing theirs is a mutually beneficial pairing, the two travel together--and become roommates once they reach the city, where Smithfield lands a job as a chef and Blueberry becomes a newspaper columnist. Soon the cow's slovenly habits drive the chameleon crazy, and he moves out. As expected, each is miserable on his own, and the two finally come to an agreement: Blueberry will try to be neater and Smithfield will be more tolerant. The colored-pencil illustrations are uneven: the panoramas are sometimes amateurish, but smaller vignettes are full of witty details. Punctuated with electric hues, these little scenarios endow the fast friends with a great deal of personality. Ages 4-8. (June)