THE TOPSY-TURVIES

The Topsy-Turvies are an unconventional lot, to say the least. ``Vern, stop eating with your fork,'' said Mrs. Topsy-Turvy. ``You know that's for combing your hair.'' They rise at midnight, don their pajamas, then enjoy their day—make that night—doing things upside down, in reverse, and backwards. When a neighbor knocks on their door one afternoon (``Who could that be at this time of day?'' yawns Mrs. Topsy-Turvy) requesting some baby-sitting help, they sleepily oblige. In a neighborly gesture, they put the house in their version of apple-pie order, give their charge a dose of spontaneity, and foil a burglary attempt (the burglar takes the fall for the housekeeping chaos). Simon's delightful story is told with sophisticated, genuine humor, a superb mix of good intentions and sheer outrageousness that ought to be patented as an antidote to the straight and narrow. Ludlow's candy-colored paintings add their own measure of zest to the tale, further proving that the world is a better place for having the Topsy-Turvies in it. As Mrs. Topsy-Turvy says when confronted with orthodoxy, ``It takes all sorts to make a world.'' (Picture book. 4-8)