The Sandal

Told almost entirely in big, comic-strip-style pictures and format, this story emphasizes continuity in time through the example of a lost sandal. ``Yesterday,'' in 77 B.C., a girl, out for a walk with her brother and father, accidentally loses a sandal. It falls into a river and floats away. ``Today,'' a girl, her brother and father visit a museum. There they see the same sandal in a display case. On the way home, one of the girl's sandals falls into a river and floats away. `` `Ah well,' says Dad, `maybe someone will find the sandal one day.' '' Sure enough, ``Tomorrow,'' in the year 2250, yet another girl, brother and father visit another museum; there they see ``Today's'' sandal. Weighty subject matter, but this plus ca change is expressed so impassively it seems somber and final, rather than interesting or ironic. Ages 3-8. (Feb . )