Wonderful Travels and Adventures of

The Baron's outlandish tales, though hard to find in published form, tickled readers long before the Terry Gilliam film of a few years ago. This respectful version, complete with a chronology of the real Baron's life, may bring them to a wider audience. Dozens of the Baron's brief anecdotes of his impossible exploits while traveling, hunting, at court or at war rival the best of Davy Crockett, as when the nobleman tells of riding a cannonball or pulling a wolf inside out. However, quirky humor and elevated language make for dense reading that will elude many children, while occasional 18th-century coarseness may concern their parents. Schroeder ( The Frog Prince ) places the comic hero in spare, classic landscapes, giving this large-format gift book a fine-art look that confirms its appeal primarily to an adult market. Ages 8-up. (Apr.)