BARBARA BUSH

An entry in the ``Contemporary Women'' series pays admiring tribute to its subject: Blue and Naden cast every aspect of the First Lady's life in a glow. Hardworking, compassionate, loyal- -all the traits emphasized in the media over the years are reemphasized. Quotes from Barbara Bush and those around her give the text immediacy; a patronizing chapter on the Bush canines (and their ``views'' on their master, their mistress, etc.) detracts mightily. Readers looking for ``dirt'' on the First Lady—or even a balanced treatment—will have to go elsewhere; this is an adequate compilation of fairly familiar Bush-mania. Illustrations not seen; chronology; further reading; index. (Biography. 11+)