Stop That Pickle!

Armour's comic, kid-pleasing escapade begins when Mrs. Elmira Deeds says to a deli owner, ``I would like a pickle, please.'' But the lone green pickle sitting in the jar refuses to be eaten and flees the deli. Running down the street, it is followed by a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich and other comestibles, all of which cry out, ``Stop that pickle!'' Inevitably, the other foodstuffs are devoured and the pickle allowed to continue its flight (why it's okay to eat, say, 17 toasted almonds but not a pickle remains a mystery). Shachat ( You Can't Catch Me ) contributes zany childlike art: the various snacks, personified with bulging eyes and short stubby legs, race across busy backgrounds. A hoot. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)