Bubble Gum

The publisher's first picture book, part of its Africa Stories series, centers on Kimbi, a baboon who lives in an African game park. One day he discovers a bag of bubble gum in a camper's tent. Perched at the top of a tree, Kimbi chews a piece of the gum and blows a giant pink bubble, which carries him up into the air. He sails over the park until the bubble pops, landing him in the pool. After a swimmer scoops him up, the impish baboon--his face covered with the remnants of his bubble--heads off to tell his friends about his adventure. Though it has an imaginative premise and mirthful moments, Noble's story ultimately falls flat, and an abundance of short, choppy sentences makes for a jerky narrative--``He was falling. Fast. Pow. Oh! Was he dead? No. He was wet.'' Though Bass's primitive paintings provide welcome splashes of color, their static quality and elementary execution do little to enhance the proceedings. Ages 4-8. (June)