Fanny and Margarite

Following their debut in Introducing Fanny , this book marks the second appearance of Spohn's anthropomorphic pear and banana. These slight vignettes advise against superficiality but, less admirably, may promote in three- to eight-year-old girls a self-consciousness about their weight. Fanny--whose very name indicates a sizable bottom--possesses by her characterization the pear shape women have habitually bemoaned, while her best friend, Margarita, has the good fortune to be a tall, slender banana. The book's initial line, ``Fanny longs to be tiny . . . like Tinkerbell,'' appears innocuous until the book describes Fanny's eating binges (``I'm too fat and ugly and sad''); her realization that she does not have a ``dancer's behind''; and her rejection after writing a ``love letter'' to a boy. Each time, Fanny is consoled by Margarita, whose own insecurities are never mentioned. As in the first book, Spohn creates an idiosyncratic look by using delicate, whispery pencil outlines and muted hues. Readers understand that Fanny and Margarita care for one another, but the message about companionship is sadly undermined by preoccupation with Fanny's inferred flaws. Ages 3-8. (Mar.)