LULU AND THE FLYING BABIES

Lulu is angry: Dad is taking her on an outing, but baby Willy in his backpack gets all the attention and forces them out of the falling snow and into the museum. There, she goes on strike and shouts so obstreperously that Dad leaves her sitting under a painting, sniffling. A cherub in the painting advises against picking her nose, another (on a pedestal) chimes in, and the two join her on a tour: they play in the snow in a Dutch landscape, splash in an impressionist sea, growl at a Rousseau tiger, and nibble fruit from still lifes. The old sibling-rivalry plot is mixed delightfully here with an inspired introduction to art museums. Simmonds' illustrations convey the domestic contretemps with sympathy and wit; her renditions of the works of art catch their essence nicely and incorporate the invasion of the toddlers with appropriate humor. The welcome that Lulu gets from her little brother and the final scene of the happy cherubs telling a guard all about their adventure make a satisfying conclusion to a charming story.