BEAR AND MRS. DUCK

An experienced author recasts the familiar drama of accepting a new babysitter into terms that should be instantly comprehensible to very small children. Mrs. Duck (pictured with a gloriously flowered hat and amiable visage) has come to stay with Bear, who doesn't like ""her funny floppy feet"" and bursts into tears. After Nora (a motherly child) hugs him and leaves for the store, he decides to just sit and wait. Mrs. Duck goes along with his plan, but soon--by a masterful use of indirect suggestions--has him coloring, listening to stories, and playing ball. She even gets into the bathtub with his boats, hat and all. By the time Nora returns, they're friends--even though Mrs. Duck is ""not the same as you."" A warm, beautifully shaped story, brought cozily to life in Brewster's deftly executed illustrations. Beginning readers will also be amused by the unusual Mrs. Duck.