CHOOKY

A happy entry into a field that is not overcrowded is this Penrod-ish tale of an eleven-year old Mississippi white boy, Chooky, and his two colored playmates, Hermann and Bubber, who are continually embroiled in results on which they had never planned. If Chooky's father hadn't indicated that he would be glad to carry on the war against the Yankees the hand-assembled ironclad boat would never have been built and a neighboring farmer shot; if Chooky hadn't been lured into selling religious tracts, there would never have been a wonderful hunting knife (paid for by his father); if father hadn't decided to keep them out of mischief, the painting of the store wouldn't have caused such wide-spread commotion; if it hadn't rained there wouldn't have been so much mud; if the circus hadn't come to town there wouldn't have been a round-up of the animals -- well, you see how awry their world gets. There's more, about a toy airplane, Chooky's romance and torn pants, and teasing Bubber about Santa Claus coming at Easter -- all in implacably logical, detailed steps leading to an unvoidable doom. Pretty funny in spots, this has a perennial appeal.