KING TEDDY

Valerie is hoofing it over to Grandma's for her first overnight when she crosses paths with King Teddy, a natty little bear decked out in ermine and velvet. ``Surely you didn't plan to go without me,'' exclaims Valerie's self-appointed protector. Valerie knows that the king is a bit of an alarmist, but he's also a droll companion, so he is invited along. During the day, Valerie pooh-poohs Teddy's scaremongering—he sees dragons where there are only washing machines, and considers baths a dangerous courting of pirates—but when night falls, she's glad to have him at her side. In an unaffected toast to those first gestures of independence, Kiefer shows that protectors, too, must know when to let go. The humor meted out in the text is much-abetted by the illustrations. Obrist uses just enough shadowing to hint at menace, skews the perspective to keep readers off balance, and keeps the proceedings warm through his choice of palette and the funny, unobstrusive incidentals lurking in the artwork. (Picture book. 6-8)