Two Badd Babies

Two rollicking infants with the surname Badd break loose from the nursery in their conveniently four-wheeled crib. Their wild rocking and bouncing propel them through town like two Katzenjammer kids on a hand-pumped railway trolley. As the errant infants burst into various shops, merchants are charmed and reward them with treats. After taking in a movie show, browsing through a few books at the bookshop and devouring enough junk food to feed a small army, the wandering babes careen into the nursery safe and sound, just in time to pass their unsuspecting mother's inspection. Though fast-paced and containing kid-pleasing repetition, Gordon's text, a slight narrative, is an odd hybrid of rhyme and prose. Sharply defined, brightly colored comic-strip art conveys the frenzy of this rambunctious albeit unexceptional journey. though ultimately unsatisfying jour ney. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)