The Thing That Ate Aunt Julia

Aunt Julia is a bit of a prig. Her nephew Jeffrey is not allowed to play inside or have friends over, because it might mess up the house. Jeffrey's dismay over his aunt's obsessive neatness disappears when he discovers a magic elixir invented long ago by his great-great-grandfather. When Jeffrey tries the ``Thick Yellow Goo'' on his Aunt's china, it dances around the tabletop. An irate Aunt Julia dumps the rest of the goo down the toilet, with strange results. The next morning Jeffrey sees the newly animated toilet walking down the hall, looking for something to eat. After consuming many household items (``a nibble here, a nibble there'') the toilet eats Aunt Julia. Eventually, the magic elixir begins to wear off and the toilet belches up a new and improved Aunt Julia. Her fussbudget ways a thing of the past, she happily tolerates her nephew's rambunctiousness--and avoids ambulatory toilets. Though not for every taste, perhaps, Allan's debut work--which gives a new meaning to ``toilet training''--should please devotees of the wacky and nontraditional. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)