Artists' Helpers Enjoy the Evenings

Like School of Names and Our Snowman, Goffstein's new offering is rendered in soft pastels and characterized by spare lines and minimal text. It comprises a series of four vignettes about five pieces of chalk: ""Blanc, Noir, Gris, Bistre, and Sanguine are artists' helpers by trade, and good friends personally.'' They discuss art at a Paris cafe, visit each other's families and appear at a masquerade dressed ``as each other.'' The book is whimsical and original, even for those unaccustomed to the conventions of artists who frequent Paris cafes. Most successful are the first scenes in which the chalk characters swear fidelity to each other. They link arms so Blanc does not disappear ``through snow or fog'' on a white page, and they hold on to Gris at dusk on a gray page. A Charlotte Zolotow Book. All ages. (July)