ARTHUR'S CAMP-OUT

In a ninth ``I Can Read'' about the popular Arthur, his smug superiority to little sister Violet is almost overstated; still, his gentle comeuppance makes a satisfying outcome. Boasting of his planned field trip, Arthur describes ``snakes—slimy things you would not like,'' but Violet responds, mildly, ``A girl in my class brought in a snake she caught...It wasn't a bit slimy. I held it in my hand.'' Arthur sets out on his trip while Violet and her friends camp out nearby, turning down his offer to ``protect'' them in the woods at night. Left alone, it's Arthur who's scared, especially of bats; the girls take him in, but not without a lecture on bats' ecological virtues. The good humor of Hoban's naturally cadenced dialogue and realistic detail mellows the message, while the childlike characters are as likable in her full-color mixed media art as in the text. (Easy reader. 4-8)