FICKLE BARBARA

``Ballerina Bear Barbara'' is one of many bears living in the room of a Parisian child. She has one good friend, Ralph, but that doesn't stop her when she decides it's time to try some new relationships. What follows is a catalogue of brief encounters with various bears of distinctive character—a handsome one with a husky voice, a funny one, a baby smelling ``of strawberry milk and vanilla biscuit''; the many who are quick to make friends are followed by others offering excuses (Zoe and Gatsby ``said no thank you, they had each other''). Then, Ichikawa, having demonstrated the meaning of fickleness and its likely consequences, and depicted an engaging gallery of cuddly, well- worn bears with her usual charm—gets a wiser Barbara back to her loyal Ralph. The last (copyright) page discloses that the text here is by Patricia Lee Gauch; even if the idea is Ichikawa's, it would be more honest to credit Gauch, at least as coauthor, on the title page. (Picture book. 4-8)