Bibi's Birthday Surprise

Bibi is a small penguin prince, whose birthday present is a toy boat just like his father's real one. When the small vessel gets lost at sea, Bibi's friends (a polar bear, a walrus and a whale) try to help him find it. But they misunderstand his description of it and recover a boat that's much too largethe king's. All is well, for the king has Bibi's boat, and it's time for cake. Dialogue balloons convey some of the action, but it is Gay's small penguin who makes it all so endearing. He's an earnest fellow, off and running from one thing to the next with childlike abandon. An icy, snowy landscape has never looked cozierwhite with gray, beige, green and clear bluedotted with bright spots, like Bibi's orange scarf. Ages 3-6. (March)