Mimi's First Mardi Gras

Seen through Mimi's eyes, this pictorial tour of Mardi Gras in New Orleans provides a pleasing introduction to the holiday. Though the inclusion of abundant details may strike some as forced, readers can glean snippets of history and such traditions as the King Cake, a sizable confection with ``a tiny baby doll'' hidden inside. Preparations for the annual festivities include the all-important choices of costume; though her parents are dressing as clowns, ``Mimi had her heart set on being a beautiful princess.'' The depiction of the parade--with its gaudy carnival atmosphere--vividly highlights the Fat Tuesday food, the trinkets thrown to the crowd and the arrival of Rex, King of Carnival. When the parade is over, an exhausted Mimi joins her cousins for gumbo and jambalaya. While Rougelot's watercolor illustrations are not particularly distinctive, they manage to evoke the many facets of this timehonored extravaganza. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)