Marceau Bonappetit

Marceau, a mouse, is delighted to spend a weekend on his own when his parents go visiting an aunt. All of his meals have been scheduled with various families in the neighborhood. From a raucous dinner with the Hubbubs to a junk-food extravaganza with the Gobblealls and a dreadful dinner with the Dreary family, poor Marceau is wined and dined as he never dreamed possible. After nearly bursting at the Stuffers' house, Marceau is rescued from the cigarette-smoking Norbread-Norwaters by the return of his parents, and his appetite returns when they all sit down to dinner. Joly-Berbesson has chosen a wonderful assortment of repulsive eating styles to teach her hero his lesson. Mathieu adds the perfect touch to each scene, using drab colors for the Drearys and explosive colors for the Gobblealls; some of the food looks very tempting indeed. An appealing variation on ``the grass is greener'' theme. Ages 3-6. (Aug.)