HESTER IN THE WILD
By
Hester the pig's daft doings have a degree of charm--heightened by the book's snappy design--but the episodic story-line turns on chance silliness and trails off inconclusively at the close. Camper Hester first gets a hole in her canoe, which she patches, and then in her tent, which she turns so the hole faces the ground--whereupon she's invaded by gophers whom she routs by pretending (""RISE AND SHINE!"") it's morning. Whereupon she's berated by a bear for tricking his gopher friends ""OUT INTO THE POURING RAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!"" To her rescue comes a ""tiny white rabbit with green wings"". . . whereupon you might want to say, with Hester, ""I don't believe this."" Page by page, ingratiating; in toto, trifling.