Christabel Crocodile's Birthday Egg

Silly and playful, this zoological excursion contains kid-pleasing touches aplenty. For her birthday, Christabel Crocodile receives a gift of a pilfered penguin egg from her friend Rene Rat: ``This egg isn't for eating, it's for hatching!'' When an adorable penguin pops out, the two pals tear through the zoo to return the baby to its rightful parents. (The hatchling, no help whatsoever, keeps crying ``Pip,'' which Rene and Christabel mistake for its name.) Little ones will enjoy the scary animal noises that ensue as the duo keeps bumping into one wrong parent after another; and such frequent exclamations as ``help,'' ``yikes,'' and ``wheee'' make this a natural read-aloud. Whimsical, cartoony watercolors of diverse zoo denizens add to the fun, and the concluding gag is particularly satisfying. Ages 3-8. (Dec.)