ARTISTS' HELPERS ENJOY THE EVENINGS

Another of Goffstein's wonderful picture-book whimsies, reminiscent of Lionni's Swimmy and Little Blue and Little Yellow in its visual imaginativeness, although without a real plot line. "Blanc, Noir, Gris, Bistre, and Sanguine were artists' helpers by trade, and good friends personally." They were also pastel crayons, and French by nationality (you can tell because they all wear berets). One at a time, each is saved from invisibility against a background of a similar color, e.g., blanc (white) from snow. Later, they join for evenings at a cafÉ or in each other's homes, or, in the finale, at a masquerade, disguised as each other. As usual, Goffstein's gentle imagination will appeal to many adults and a smaller but significant number of children. Any child who has fallen in love with a new box of crayons will be able to understand how this book came to be; and there are some important artistic perceptions to be learned from the story. A special book.