22 Orphans

In this disjointed tale from a Dutch team, a mischievous group of orphans attempts to show their new headmistress how to have a good time. With a nod to Bemelmans (one girl dresses like Madeline; the orphanage beds align in two straight rows), Hopman conveys all the energy of imaginative children creating havoc left and right. They build forts under tables, hang from the orphanage balconies and ride a cart down the stairwell. Each time, the fretful headmistress's curious refrain is ""Elephants are strong and sturdy but children, remember, are not elephants,"" as she puts them all to bed under orange-and-white checkered coverlets. The children soon tire of bedrest, and one morning, the woman discovers they have fled--only an orange-and-white checked elephant remains. In an about-face, she cavorts with the elephant, doing handstands on the roof and playing tag along the gutter. The rough-housing culminates in the pair's four-story fall from the roof onto the Inspector General himself--the elephant having disappeared, replaced by the 22 orphans. Readers will likely have trouble reconciling the taskmaster-headmistress with her sudden fit of rooftop acrobatics; and parents may raise an eyebrow when the Inspector General, instead of reprimanding the headmistress for putting the children in peril, happily climbs in bed with her to convalesce. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)