The Journey Home

After they dig a deep hole in their sandbox and fall through to the North Pole, Wild and Woolly begin their adventure-filled journey home. Along the way, the brother and sister are guests at the homes of some luminaries most youngsters would love to visit: Father Christmas; the Good Fairy; Prince Charming; a beautiful mermaid; a Pirate King and a Gypsy Queen. Lester's ( Imagine ; Clive Eats Alligators ) inventiveness and attention to detail are evident in both her text and pictures. In Father Christmas's cozy cottage, toys are stacked neatly on shelves and reindeer peer in the window, as the gracious host serves roast turkey and plum pudding to the travelers--and to a gaggle of elves. Wild and Woolly sleep in ``beds as soft as clouds'' in the Good Fairy's treehouse, where supper is angel cakes and sugar kisses. Young readers will relish making this journey--and many return trips. Ages 4-8. ( Apr. )