HELLO TREE. Gagnon, Cecile. Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse and translated from the French by Patricia Claxton. Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1988. 22pp, cloth. $14.95, ISBN 0-7710-3283-8. (The Leon series). CIP I'M HOT. Gagnon, Cecile. Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse and translated from the French by Patricia Claxton. Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1988. 22pp. cloth, $14.95. ISBN 0-7710-3284-6. (The Leon series). CIP I'M HUNGRY. Gagnon, Cecile. Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse and translated from the French by Patricia Claxton. Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1988. 22pp, cloth. $14.95, ISBN 0-7710-3285-4. (The Leon series). CIP A NEW HOUSE. Gagnon, Cecile. Illustrated by Darcia Labrosse and translated from the French by Patricia Claxton. Toronto. McClelland and Stewart, 1988. 22pp, cloth. $14.95, ISBN 0-7710-3286-2. (The Leon series). CIP Kindergarten to Grade 3/Ages 5 to 8 Reviewed by Sandy Atwal Volume 17 Number 3 1989 May Four picture-books for younger children written by Cecile Gagnon, children's author and former editor-in-chief of Coulicou magazine (the French version of Chickadee), have recently been published in English. The four titles- Hello Tree, I'm Hot, fm Hungry and A New House—present Leon, a young polar bear, In a series of adventures with animal friends. In the first story, Hello Tree, Leon is left alone in snow country after his mother is killed by hunters. He heads south on an iceberg and ends up in warmer country, where there is grass and something new—trees. In the second adventure, Leon is in the warm land of trees and summer. He is befriended by Alex, a raccoon, who introduces him to fun activities in the woods. Leon is soon overcome by the heat. Alex solves the problem by giving Leon's fur a trim, and the birds use the fur to make nests. In the third story, it is spring and Leon shares in the meals of his generous animal friends-a rabbit, a squirrel, a deer, a bird, and a raccoon—and ends up with indigestion. In the final adventure, it is now autumn. When Alex the raccoon's house blows down, Leon helps Alex find a new home. He tries out Leon's cave, Mary Ann the rabbit's tunnel, and the robin's nest, and ends up in a renovated triplex apartment in a maple tree with the mice. The detailed full-page pictures by award-winning illustrator Darcia Labrosse are done in soft colours and add warmth to the animal characters. Each page with text has small black-and-white illustrations of animal characters at the bottom. The print is large and there is a nice balance between text and illustration. The seasonal aspect of the stories and the pervading theme of friendship make them excellent picture-books to share with young children. Sandy Atwal, Galt Collegiate Institute, Cambridge, Ont.