LEOPOLD, THE SEE-THROUGH CRUMBPICKER

The first person to feel out the invisible crumbpicker was little Minerva and immediately she and Leopold became inseparable. Yet Minerva could not possibly foresee her ""pet's"" voracious appetite. After devouring the contents of all the school lunch boxes, Leopold runs headlong, into a bakery, then a grocery and finally a bank, leaving the shocked proprietors stunned as they watch their goods float through the air, and disappear. (Fortunately, Leopold did not relish the taste of money, so the town's economy was saved.) Minerva comes to the rescue by painting Leopold in bright colors and assorted patterns and from then on he becomes the favorite of the town zoo. Suspense competes with hilarity as young readers wait to see the elusive Leopold, and the author's delightful conception is no disappointment. A gay, giggly farce.