Too Many Time Machines

In this imaginative cartoon caper, time machines, looking like a jazzed-up cross between spaceships and bumper cars, are as common as Game Boys: all the kids have them. To the frustration of baseball-obsessed Roger, his teammates are too busy helping Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel or entertaining Catherine the Great to practice for the baseball championship. Roger himself has no interest in his time machine--until his father suggests that he look up Babe Ruth. After the boy and his hero throw a discus in ancient Athens (""Oh, heck! They're just playing Frisbee!"" complains Roger), Babe shares some power-hitting tips with the protagonist. Roger goes on to win the championship pretty much single-handedly (""We're the best!"" ""And we didn't even need to practice!"" his teammates exult). Stamaty (Minnie Maloney and Macaroni, and creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip ""Washingtoon"") combines a healthy irreverence for history (""I'm late for my lunch date with Julius Caesar!"" rages Cleopatra at one point) with plenty of affection for baseball and Babe Ruth. He mixes up a comic-strip format of panel art and dialog boxes with a more traditional picturebook format, so the text and the detailed black-and-white artwork interact in a variety of ways. Roger's picture-perfect suburban town of sidewalks and front porches offers an excellent foil for the ludicrous events. A droll, far-out story. Ages 8-up. (June)