Aardvark's Picnic

How can you have a picnic without any ants? You certainly can't make ant-paste sandwiches, ant salad or chocolate ant rolls without them. When Aardvark realizes that he's misplaced his ants, he asks all his friends to help him find some before his scheduled picnic date. The monkeys offer bananas, Crocodile offers fishcakes and Toad offers flies dipped in honey, but Aardvark is sure none of those will appeal to his aardvark friends. Fortunately, to discerning readers, the solution to Aardvark's problem is in his picnic basket, which is swarming with increasing numbers of . . . ants! The picnic is a huge success, and the aardvarks eat so much that ""they just couldn't eat another ant!'' British newcomer Higham displays a inspired sense of humor in his story and offbeat cartoons. Ages 38. (May)