Arthur's Chicken Pox: An Arthur Adventure

Arthur's back, but he's not feeling so hot. The agreeable aardvark has come down with the chicken pox, and it looks as though he'll miss a family excursion to the circus. But there are compensations: Arthur (wearing his furry bunny slippers--and a decidedly smug expression) gets to slurp chicken noodle soup on the sofa while sister D.W. is forced to eat spinach at the dinner table. And Grandma makes quite a fuss over him, providing soothing baths, back rubs and hot tea. Meanwhile D.W. (who dots her face with a pink marker in a doomed attempt to garner similar attentions) makes sure that Arthur witnesses her phone call inviting her friend to use the extra circus ticket. But Arthur recovers in time for the outing . . . and youngsters will be amused to discover who breaks out in genuine pox just as the family prepares to leave. With its animated art and breezy text, Brown's 19th Arthur adventure is another winning slice-of-life tale. Ages 4-8. (May)