THE RIVERBOAT CREW

At first glance, it might be John Burningham--the spacious, sunny riverboat scene, the multi-color crosshatching instead of a true wash. But inside is a slip of a one-joke story and crude illustrations as false to the Burningham manner as some of the Sendak take-offs. Captain Bill and Gus the stoker argue about which is the more important man on the steamer--while Chinese cook Sam, a stereotype from the opium-smoking days, smiles inscrutably. But when Captain Bill and Gus switch jobs and come a cropper, there's no breakfast to bolster them. ""Who's the most important man aboard this steamer?"" ""All right Sam, you are."" The river is the Murray, so presumably this is bygone Australia--which, unfortunately, doesn't do anything for the book one way or the other.