Pie in the Sky

This insubstantial picture book sends a pie on a trip around the world, but an abbreviated itinerary leaves a few holes in the story. It's Mrs. Plum's birthday, and her daughter gives her a shovel, her husband gives her a ``left-handed doorknob,'' her father-in-law gives her a large melon and her sister gives her a pinecone. Son Skip, meanwhile, hopes to surprise her with a butterscotch pie from the bakery. But when the baker's truck skids to a halt outside, ``Skip's pie went flying through the air. It did not stop.'' The airborne dessert orbits the globe, passing the Statue of Liberty, where it's mistaken for a UFO, and the Eiffel Tower, where tourists assume it's ``one of those funny French hats.'' Disappointingly, it passes Egypt, Fiji and Hollywood in succession, making for a poor geography lesson. Perhaps the best moments occur at the faces of the Sphinx and Mount Rushmore, where the pie threatens to make ``a great splat.'' Skilbeck ( Dinosaurs at the Supermarket ) contributes cartoons that are little more than multi-ethnic stick figures, albeit colorfully garbed ones. While purists might fault Balan's disregard for time zones, his offering proves generally genial if low in nutrients. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)