ELLIOT FRY'S GOOD-BYE

When Elliot decides to leave home rather than clean up his room to make space for his visiting uncle, his parents simply remind him to take his sweater and not to cross the street, thus limiting his trip to circling his own pleasant suburban block. Elliot's excursion doesn't have the punch of Patricia Gauch's Cristina Katerina and the Time She Quit the Family (1987), while Steig's Spinky Sulks (1988) remains the classic treatment of this theme; but young readers will enjoy the perky realistic dialogue here, especially in the final scene, when—after Elliot comes home at dusk—Uncle Abe turns his visit into ``a good, old- fashioned sleepover,'' with scary stories and popcorn. Fernandes's happy-go-lucky illustrations are right in the spirit of the wholesome story. (Picture book. 4-8)