DATE: Tuesday, October 28, 1997             TAG: 9710280064

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E10  EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: KIDS' BOOK 

SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   29 lines

``ANIMAL ADVENTURE'' IS HILARIOUS, HAS A MESSAGE

ANDY IS quite an artist. When he visits his Aunt Charlotte, his drawings look more real than they ever have. In fact, they jump right off the page. First a lion, then an elephant, then a parrot lounge around Aunt Charlotte's garden. Meanwhile, she stays busy in the house, cooking soup.

Everything is fine until Aunt Charlotte invites everyone inside for lunch.

This hilarious romp, ``Andy's Wild Animal Adventure'' (North-South Books, $13.96, ages 7-9), is written by Gerda Marie Scheidl and delightfully illustrated by Gisela Duerr.

It's a comical, easy book for beginning readers, and the notion of drawings coming to life will tickle the funny bones of much younger listeners. And there's something to ponder at the end when Aunt Charlotte says the mischievous animals must go. Andy solves the problem by picking up his pencil and drawing a solution.

This book is not all fun and games. It includes a thoughtful message about zoos that could lead to further discussions with children as young as 4. ILLUSTRATION: NORTH-SOUTH BOOKS

When Andy draws wild animals, including an elephant, they come to

life.

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