Mr. Bubble Gum

Another installment of the Bank Street Ready-to-Read series features two brothers. Eli sticks so close to his older brother that he earns the nickname ``Mr. Bubble Gum.'' Three adventures compose this slim chapter story, all of them light and amusing, and the situations--inventing a new soft drink, a Halloween mix-up and a rescue--are sure to spark readers' imaginations. There's not much depth to the stories, however, and the writing is occasionally pedestrian. Meisel's colorful pictures suitably illustrate the tale. Ages 4-8. (July)